Blindfold Gang
by Chinnie Ai
Summary: In Mekaku City, there is a street called the Kagerou Street, and it is where the two groups of delinquents AZAMI and the Blindfold Gang hang out. The ten teens of the Blindfold Gang gather and live together in an apartment and spend their high school days happily - together. / High school delinquent AU.
1. 001: Let's Daze!

**Hi guys, it's me, Chinnie Ai. This is going to be my first Kagerou Project multi-chapter story, so I'm really excited about it and I hope you guys are equally excited! Before I get to the story, there are some things I must inform you guys.**

**One is that this is an AU if you didn't read the summary. It's set in a normal world where the Mekakushi Dan doesn't have their powers, but are best friends. Also, an important thing is that they are delinquents part of a gang called the Mekakushi Dan, or the Blindfold Gang. Each chapter will basically be a rewrite of the songs, therefore each chapter will have the title of a song. The events of the songs will be altered, of course, considering their current status, you know what I mean? Also, the songs will most likely not go in order.**

**Secondly, the pairings. It will be HaruTaka/KonoEne, KuroAct, HibiMomo, ShinAya, KanoKido and SetoMarry. If you like all the pairings, then great! This is going to be the story for you! If you don't like the pairings, then I don't think you'll enjoy the story as much. There will definitely be HibiHiyo in the Kagerou Daze chapter and a little bit afterwards, but once we reach the Otsukimi Recital chapter then it will be HibiMomo full on. Sorry to the HibiHiyo fans.**

**Third, the characters. Ene and Konoha are Takane and Haruka respectively. Why they are referred as those names will be explained in chapter 2. Also, Kuroha will be himself as Konoha's twin brother. Actor will not be Takane; instead she will be Ene's twin sister and she will make her appearance in the Headphone Actor chapter and will be part of the Mekakushi Dan. As for Hiyori, she will make her appearance in the Kagerou Daze chapter, however unfortunate things will happen to her which makes her not take part in the story. If you cannot take these, this won't be the story for you.**

**I think I've done enough talking. Sorry to take up your time with this long A/N. **

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In this delightful little city with the name of Mekaku City, there is a street called the Kagerou Street, famous for being the most chaotic and catastrophic street in city history ever. Why? Because this is where the delinquents of Kagerou High hang out. Two groups dominated this area, specifically. They both held a strong hate for each other, but they usually minded their own business and didn't try to pick a fight if nothing bothered them.

One of the groups is AZAMI, famous for its mysterious and dark aura. Not much is known about them, except that their best fighter is Kuroha Kokonose, crowned by the public to be the 'most active delinquent in Mekaku City history'. Rumors that the boss of AZAMI is a black haired girl in her senior year were also spread around, however rumors were just rumors. The second group is the Blindfold Gang, more often referred to as the Mekakushi Dan. Unlike AZAMI, the Mekakushi Dan were fairly open with who was part of it and what they usually do.

Member NO. 1 is Tsubomi Kido, a tall green haired girl. She is 16 years old, a sophomore. She is mostly just referred to as Kido or Danchou, being the leader of the team. Weirdly, she always gets ignored by people and never gets noticed, therefore being rumored to be a ghost of some sort.

NO. 2 is Kousuke Seto, a brown haired boy. He is 16 years old, a sophomore. He, like her sister Kido, is addressed by his last name. He seemed to always be able to tell what was on someone's mind.

NO. 3 is Shuuya Kano, a blonde boy who is quite short for his age. He is 16 years old, a sophomore. He is the brother of Kido and Seto, and is addressed by his last name as well. He was known to always tell lies and therefore is also widely known as 'the deceiver'.

NO. 4 is Marry Kozakura, a white haired girl. She is 16 years old, a sophomore. Somehow when people stare straight into her eyes, they always seem to freeze and not be able to move.

NO. 5 is Momo Kisaragi, an orange haired girl. She is 16 years old, a sophomore. She seems to attract everyone's attention, and not because she was part of the Mekakushi Dan and is a delinquent.

NO. 6 is Ene, a blue haired girl. Her real name is Takane Enomoto, but nearly nobody refers to her as that so it has been long forgotten. She is 17 years old, a junior. She is extremely skilled in computers and video games. Her wounds seem to heal instantly, as if by magic.

NO. 7 is Shintaro Kisaragi, a black haired boy and older brother to Momo. He is 17 years old, a junior. He seems to have photographic memory, able to remember all the small details of events that happened before, although he personally never confirmed it.

NO. 8 is Hibiya Amamiya, a short brown haired boy. He is 15 years old, a freshman. He has excellent vision and can see distant objects clearly.

NO. 9 is Konoha, an extremely tall white haired boy. Like Ene, he is never referred to by his real name Haruka Kokonose. He is 17 years old, a junior. He seems to have superhuman strength, being able to run at a inhuman speed and lift heavy objects that are impossible for normal people.

These nine teens gather and live in an apartment they've rented for quite a low price on Kagerou Street, making it their secret hideout.

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It was just half an hour after a normal school day had ended. A teenaged girl had stepped out of the popular Starbucks located on Kagerou Street, sipping a cotton candy frappuccino. Half of her face was covered by the shadow of the hood of her dark blue sweater.

"Hey," She looked up and saw that she was being approached by a group of teenage boys that looked slightly older than her that looked like delinquents.

"You look kinda cute. Hey, where are you going next? Come on, hang with us for a while, won't you?" No answer came from the girl. The teenagers looked at each other and they became frustrated.

"Hey, you -" One of them put a hand on the girl's shoulder and was surprised to see the girl slap it off.

"Who do you think you are, little girl?" asked the boy, furious. The girl's blank expression turned to a confident smile.

"Who am I, you ask?" she says, lifting off her hood. Her blue pigtails swayed in the wind and scarlet eyes narrowed in focus. The boys stared at her, wondering where she got her confidence when one of them exclaimed in surprise, fear and recognition.

"Scarlet eyes... Could it be...?" he stuttered. The other teenagers started sweat in fear now. The girl's smile deepened.

"Mekakushi Dan number 6, Ene here! If you want to die, come on forward!" she shouted, her scarlet eyes narrowing into a glare. The teenage boys screamed and ran away fast, shouting many 'I'm sorry!'s as they went. Ene sighed.

"When did the amount of idiots increase here? Seems like I'm dealing with them everyday." she muttered.

"What happened, Ene?" asked Konoha, walking out of the Starbucks along with the others. Ene shook her head.

"Nothing. Let's go to the arcade now! I'm gonna beat you bad this time, Kisaragi!" Ene shouted, pointing straight at the black haired boy wearing a red sweater. He rolled his eyes.

"You've never even beaten me once. Stop daydreaming." he said slyly. There was a well known rivalry between the two gamers, and no one could interrupt them when they were in the middle of a match. Ene held up a clenched fist.

"Try me, Kisaragi. Hell, I'm not gonna loose to an internet addict like you!" said Ene. Konoha patted her shoulder.

"Ene, calm down..." said Konoha, patting his childhood friend's shoulder. Ene relaxed her body but didn't stop glaring.

"Well, if you're gonna try to beat me let's hurry up and get it over with." said Shintaro, walking away from the Starbucks and to the arcade. The gang followed.

"Danchou, what are we having for dinner~?" asked Kano. Kido let out a sigh.

"You'll know when it's dinner time." she replied, annoyed.

"Heh~? Kido, tell me~!" Kido only replied with a kick in the shin.

"You're annoying." she said. They soon arrived at the game center and Ene and Shintaro rushed in, Ene glaring at him and Shintaro with a blank and bored expression.

"They sure are close." said Hibiya. Nobody noticed Konoha's usual blank gaze darken into a glare of hate and jealousy towards the boy in the red jacket.

It was not rare to see the Mekakushi Dan at the game center. They would go there at least 3 times a week because of Ene's challenges towards Shintaro. The two of them have seated themselves at the shooting game's booth already and were ready to play, neither of them showing any mercy. Konoha stood behind Ene, cheering her on. Marry and Seto were at a claw crane and Marry was trying to catch a stuffed frog with a determined expression on her face. Momo and Kano were at the Dance Dance Revolution machine, stepping away furiously to a song at the hardest level. Hibiya and Kido were currently playing against each other in a game of air hockey. Everybody had a game they were quite attached to in the arcade, and one that they would play every single time they went to the arcade.

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"Ah, I'm tired!" said Momo, running into apartment 107, their hideout, and flopping onto the couch. She stretched and sighed.

"Danchou-san, when will dinner be ready?" she asked.

"Half an hour." replied Kido as she went straight into the kitchen to cook dinner for everyone. Kano trailed behind her. Seto and Mary went to sit down on the couch beside Momo, talking happily about something. Ene had her headphones on and was listening to music from her phone. Shintaro was busy with his computer, cursing about the internet speed. Hibiya went to take a drink from the fridge, shaking his head at the sight of Momo sprawled over the couch, soon asleep. Konoha sat on the single-person couch, reading a book. It was pretty much like this every evening.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang and Marry ran to get it.

"Ayano-san! How are you? Come in!" she said. A girl with shoulder length brown hair walked into their apartment. Everyone greeted her with either an excited or exhausted 'hi'.

Ayano Tateyama, 17 years old, a junior. She sits next to Shintaro in class and is the adopted older sister of Kido, Seto and Kano. She shows up at their apartment quite often to make sure her siblings are all well and everything is okay. This is why she is referred to as NO. 0 of the Mekakushi Dan, as she isn't officially part of the Dan but hangs out with them regularly.

Staring at everyone either collapsed onto the couch or doing something with an exhausted expression, she sighed.

"Oh, by the way, did you guys do homework already?" There was a silence. Kido, Kano, Marry, Seto, Momo, Hibiya and Ene started to sweat nervously.

"I finished in class." said Shintaro without a care. Konoha nodded.

"Me too." Another silence. Shintaro, with his IQ of 168, and Konoha, with his smartness, were easily the top 5 in their grade. However the others weren't so lucky.

"Uh, Aya-nee, could you cook dinner for me today?" Without another word, Kido fled into her room, and so did the others. Ayano sighed.

_Some things just never change._

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"Hi guys!" said Ayano, opening the door to the roof area of the school building. The roof was where the Mekakushi Dan spent their lunchtime at. Nobody ever eats lunch there so they had the area all to themselves. Kido, Seto and Kano sat together eating lunch, Kido and Kano arguing over something while Seto tried to calm them down. Marry sat close to the edge, looking at the scenery outside. Momo was sitting with Hibiya, stretching while watching him play a game on his blue Nintendo DS. Ene and Konoha sat together, either eating or gobbling down their lunches. Shintaro was looking at something on his phone.

"Oh hey Ayano! How'd you do on your test?" asked Ene. Ayano laughed nervously. Shintaro smirked.

"Don't ask her, her grades are always low." he said. Another nervous laugh came from Ayano.

"Hey! Don't you know how to be a more subtle or, in other words, nicer?" said Ene angrily. Shintaro shrugged.

"Can't help it. It's the truth." he said. A 'che' escaped from Ene's mouth as she looked at her rival with hate and annoyance.

"It's okay, Ene. Shintaro's right, my grades aren't so good. I know it already, ahahaha..." said Ayano. Momo sighed.

"Come on Ayano, can't be worse than mine. I got a 2% for the previous test." said Momo, sighing. Hibiya snickered.

"Stupid as usual, obasan." he said, laughing. Momo sent a glare in his way.

"Hibiya, don't start this with me. You don't want to." she said.

"And why wouldn't I? O-ba-san." he said, voicing out every syllable. Immediately, Momo slammed a fist onto his head and sent him cringing in pain.

"Don't call me an obasan, you elementary schooler!" she said. Hibiya stood up.

"Elemen- Someday I'll grow taller than you! Call me an elementary schooler then!" he said.

"Okay, that's enough. Stop it, both of you." said Kido, speaking up finally. Momo and Hibiya both rolled their eyes at each other and sat down, crossing their arms over their chest. Everyone else sighed. These two could never get along.

"Oh right, I forgot tell you guys. The paint company - you know, the one that makes paint for walls and stuff - called me yesterday and told me that I had won a lot of paint and they'll deliver it to us today." said Seto.

"What'll we do with paint? We have no walls to paint." Shintaro said without even looking up from his phone. Suddenly, Kano stood up and everyone stared at him.

"I have an awesome idea."

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"So this is your awesome idea?" asked Kido, her eyebrow rising as she surveyed the surroundings. Everyone was dressed in their usual Mekakushi Dan hoodie and they carried buckets of paint, spray cans and paint rollers covered in their respective colors. Kido had purple, Seto had green, Kano had grey, Marry had light pink, Momo had orange, Ene had dark blue, Shintaro had dark red, Hibiya had light blue and Konoha had yellow. Kano nodded.

"We're gonna spray paint all over this garage! Gonna make it beautiful! I'm such a genius!" said Kano. Kido sighed.

"Whatever. As long as we don't waste all this paint." she said. Kano smiled.

"Roger, Kido Danchou! Hmm... What should we write on this garage door?" he said, inspecting it from all sides.

"How about 'Mekakucity Actors'?" asked Momo. Shintaro raised an eyebrow.

"Where did that come from?" he asked. Momo shrugged.

"Dunno. I just thought of it. This city is called Mekaku City, so..." said Momo. Kano nodded.

"Sounds pretty good! Now..." he said, stretching. "You guys ready?" Nodding, everyone else picked up their spray cans, buckets and paint rollers.

"Ready as I'll ever be!" said Seto.

"I-I'll do my best!" said Marry. Ene smiled.

"Then... Let's go, everyone!" Red, blue, orange and other colored paint flew everywhere: on the floor, on their hoodies, on their faces, on their hands... Until the words 'メカクシティアクターズ' painted in bright colors appeared on the once white garage door. They wiped away their sweat from their faces and smiled at each other, looking at their masterpiece.

"Hey! What are you guys doing?" shouted a voice. They looked up and saw two grownup advancing towards them.

"Looks like we're discovered." "Let's go then!" "Yeah, let's run!" The Gang wasn't even slightly concerned about being caught. They were quite used to being caught by adults in doing _stuff_, and so picking up their materials, they simply ran. But they weren't running for their lives in fear; they were running while laughing and jumping while talking to each other. After they ran a distance away from the garage, they stopped and put down their paint materials, laughing.

"That was a great run." said Hibiya. Everyone smiled at the excitement in the run and wiped away their sweat, catching their breath.

"Holy shit - !" A scream from the blue haired girl attracted everyone's attention. They all looked towards Ene to see her quickly wiping away paint from Konoha's face that was covered in his yellow paint.

"What were you doing, Konoha?!" said Ene, still wiping away the paint with her sleeve. Clearly Konoha had sprayed his yellow paint from the spray can onto his face. He looked a little guilty.

"Sorry, Ene..." he said. Ene sighed.

"It's okay, but why the hell -" PSHHTTT. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at Ene's face covered with orange paint. Ene slowly reached a hand up to her face and wiped away the paint. She turned around with a very pissed expression to Momo, who was smiling a wide smile.

"I-MOU-TO-SAN... WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she shouted. Momo only smiled. Ene quickly picked up her spray can and sprayed it in Momo's direction. Momo quickly dodged away and it sprayed in Shintaro's face. Soon, everyone was flinging paint everywhere.

"IT'S WAR, PEOPLE!" declared Ene. After a while, the paint ran out and everyone dropped onto the floor, exhausted.

"That... Was awesome..." said Momo, panting and wiping away the sweat and paint on her head.

"That was really really fun!" said Marry, smiling. Kido stood up.

"Now, let's head back."

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**Thank you for reading the first chapter of _Blindfold Gang_. I hope you've enjoyed my first multi-chapter story and I definitely hope it is as good as my one-shots. **

**I don't have everything planned out yet, so suggestions are definitely welcome. Feel free to contact me through PM, Skype or anything else. All my contact info is on my profile.**

**Reviews, favorites and follows are always welcome and well-appreciates. I will have a small screaming of happiness session whenever I see one of those, so be sure to leave many! **

**Again, thank you, thank you, thank you for reading my story!**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	2. 002: Mekakushi Code

**I'M NOT DEAD GUYS. I'M ACTUALLY NOT DEAD.**

**I'm terribly sorry for not updating for, let's see, 44 days? Honestly. I mean, people probably already forgot about this story already or something... (sigh) To the people who haven't forgotten, I love you so much! Have a cookie!**

***Remember in the previous A/N I said why Ene and Konoha got their names would be said in chapter 002? I lied. I scrapped that.**

**This chapter is un-edited (I didn't want the readers to wait any longer), so if there's mistakes please tell me (nicely).**

**Please enjoy!**

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Hey. I'm Kido. I'm a sophomore at Kagerou High along with my adopted brothers Seto and Kano. I like hoodies and listening to my iPod. I'm often been referred to as 'a ghost' or 'mean-looking', which I don't like but am pretty much used to. And I'm the so-called leader of the gang 'Mekakushi Dan'. We live together in apartment 107. We divided the 5 bedrooms up between us. I was 'roommates' with Momo, Kano shared a room with Hibiya, Shintaro shared a room with Konoha, Marry and Seto shared a room and Ene had a room to herself that she would share with Aya-nee if she visited. But really, being the leader isn't much different from the other members.

Except that I cook everyone's breakfast, lunch and dinner. Why? Letting Marry, Ene or Momo (no, wait, I take that back. ESPECIALLY Momo.) cook means a disaster in the kitchen. Seto's usually busy (with his part-time job and all), Kano the bastard would fool around too much and it would end up with us having no food at all, Shintaro's too obsessed with his computer and coke, Hibiya's only a kid and Konoha would end up eating everything. So it ended up with me, seemingly the only one who can cook out of us, busy in the kitchen every morning and evening.

Us Mekakushi Dan is one of the two strongest gangs of Kagerou Street. Not that we want to be, it's just that we happen to be. The other is AZAMI. When it comes to strength, we're pretty equal and although we do fight often (more than necessary), we don't mock each other of anything (we usually cause physical damage, not emotional damage). However, there was a time, probably long forgotten, that the Mekakushi Dan was made fun of by AZAMI.

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"3 lattes, one hot chocolate, one London fog, one cotton candy frap, one vanilla frap, one lemon cake frap please, all tall, thank you." said Kano. The worker nodded, and turned around to make our drinks.

"Arghhh, how many days until summer vacation? I can't wait~!" said Momo, letting out a huge sigh.

"You've asked that question, like, 20 times already." said Hibiya. "Obasan." he immediately added.

"Does that matter? Summer vacation is fun!" retorted Momo. I sighed.

"Don't get too excited. We still have quizzes, tests, exams, presentations and other stuff coming up." I said. Ayano, Seto, Kano, Marry, Momo, Ene and Hibiya gulped.

"Oh, and there's the mile run too." added Ene, looking slyly at Shintaro, who tensed up at her words.

"I'm sure _someone_ will enjoy that." laughed Momo.

"Here are your drinks." said the worker, putting down the drinks on the counter. Everyone grabbed their drinks and headed out the door, only to bump into another group of people.

"Shit." Ene muttered. "AZAMI."

AZAMI was the other group that 'dominated' Kagerou Street. It consisted of 13 people, however we didn't know much about them. We only knew who one person's real name, and nothing of their boss. However we did know about one person. The code names of the members of AZAMI are Conceal, Steal, Deceive, Stare, Combine, Captivate, Open, Retain, Focus, Awaken, Clear and Favor. Clear was Kuroha Kokonose, Konoha's twin brother, and AZAMI's best fighter.

We glared at AZAMI, and vice versa.

"Didn't think we'd meet here, Mekakushi Dan." sneered Deceive. Kano shrugged.

"Same to you, AZAMI." he said. "Now, we've gotta go so don't get in our way." Open's eyes narrowed.

"That attitude of yours is not gonna do you any good, bitches." she said, staring straight into each of our eyes. Ene stepped up, anger burning in her eyes.

"Are you picking a fight here?" she said.

"Only if you guys are up to the challenge." Open retorted back.

"Alright then." I said, stepping forward. If we declined, it might affect our reputation. We walked out of the Starbucks - obviously we couldn't fight in there - and faced each other in the middle of the street. A few seconds later, punches and kicks were tossed around and people were getting hurt before you could say 'blindfold complete'. I was fighting with Conceal, who was AZAMI's fastest and most agile fighter.

Suddenly I heard a high-pitched scream from behind me. I immediately turned around and saw Marry, who had fallen on the ground and was struggling against Stare and Combine, who were tugging on her long hair. I immediately dashed over and gave Stare and Combine each a kick that sent them flying. I helped Marry up onto her feet.

"T-Thank you, Kido..." she said, near tears. I give her a smile.

"Anytime." I reply. Suddenly, Marry's eyes widen.

"Kido, be careful! Behind you!" she shouts, pointing behind me. I quickly spin around to see a huge foot flying straight at my face. I immediately hold up my hand to block the kick, which didn't end up good. The impact of Conceal's foot against my wrist caused me to jump back a few steps until my foot landed badly on its side and I fell on my side on the ground, twitching in pain. I felt as if my body was crushed like a can of coke when an AZAMI member (I couldn't see who) brought his/her foot down on the side of my ribcage. I coughed and clutched the wound, wishing the pain would go away.

"Kido!" shouted Kano, running over to me with the rest of the gang. I sat up slowly, clutching my side, panting.

"You bastards -" said Kano, rushing up to AZAMI and ready to fight.

"Kano! You idiot! Retreat, we're going back." I said. Kano sighed and stepped back. Seto helped me up and we walked (or, in my case, limped) away. Kano gave them a glare before following us back to apartment 107.

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"Danchou-san, are you okay?" asked Momo, urgently. I sat up on the couch and sighed. I quickly regretted sighing. Dammit, that did hurt.

"Yeah, I'm fine Momo. It's already 6, isn't it? I need to cook dinner -"

"Not so fast." said Kano, pushing me back onto the couch. To my surprise, I didn't fight back. Probably because that would hurt.

"You're not cooking when AZAMI just crushed your ribs. I'll call up Nee-chan." he said, already dialing Aya-nee's number.

"We can't bother her! I'm fine, Kano! Just a little wound won't affect me." I said, getting up. A sharp pain in my ribs caused me to wince and clutch my side. I sat back down and kept silent as Kano called Aya-nee. Meanwhile, Marry walked up to me, looking depressed.

"I'm sorry, Kido... I should have been more careful... If I had been more careful you wouldn't have gotten hurt -" I smile.

"No, it's fine, Marry. Trust me. It's alright." I say. Marry look up, sniffling.

"Are you sure?" she asks. I nod.

"Of course." I said. The doorbell rang, and Shintaro went to get it. It was Aya-nee.

"Hi everyone!" said Aya-nee. She took off her shoes and ran to me.

"Tsubomi! Are you okay?" she asked, looking extremely worried. I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I reply. Aya-nee sighed.

"I really think I should talk to AZAMI! If I talk to them, they'll understand!" she said. Sorry, Aya-nee, about you having to cook for me..." I said. Aya-nee shook her head.

"No, it's totally fine! Tsubomi, you just rest! I'll get everything done!" she said, running into the kitchen. I lie back down onto the couch and fall fast asleep.

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When I woke up, it was already morning. Sunlight seeped through the windows and curtains and shone right on my face. I groaned and sat up slowly, still feeling the pain. I must have broken a bone or something. I noticed that I was in the my bed (the bottom bunk of the bunk bed I shared with Momo) and that I was in my pajamas. One of the girls must have changed me because I fell asleep in my usual hoodie. None of the guys would have dared. I glanced at my clock. It was slightly past six o'clock. It wouldn't be another one and a half hours until we had to depart to school. A sudden voice from the bunk above startled me.

"If you listen to my joke your stomach would fly out~! Just kidding " said Momo. I sat still for a moment, considered what she had said, then burst out laughing (which, obviously, I quickly regretted). Although the things Momo says when she's asleep were usually bizarre and I was pretty much used to it, it suddenly made me feel better. I immediately got out of bed and got dressed. I slip quietly out of the room and head for the kitchen. I was extremely surprised at the sight in front of me.

The table was already set with the usual arrangements. Different types of bread were exquisitely put together in a wooden basket on top of a piece of red and white plaid cloth in the middle of the table. The types of bread included French baguettes (all cut up into small pieces), red bean bread, chocolate screwdriver bread, toast and my personal favorite, croissants. Butter and different types of jam lined the basket. Scrambled eggs, cut-up pieces of potatoes and bacon were put in several different beautiful plates that Marry brought from her house. In front of our seats, we had our usual plates and utensils. A glass of orange juice was placed beside everyone's plates. Everything seemed to 'sparkle', if you know what I mean.

I frowned in confusion. Did Aya-nee come back to prepare breakfast? My confusion was quickly answered when a familiar figure walked out of the kitchen, a zone he was never allowed to enter.

"Oh, Kido, you're awake. I made breakfast." he said, smiling. For a second, I couldn't say anything. I was too shocked.

"...I said you weren't allowed in the kitchen, didn't I?" I finally managed to choke out. I could almost see Kano shrink back.

"Umm... Yes?" he answered. I sighed and sat down.

"I'll forgive you this time." I said quietly. Kano beamed, and his face glowed. He bounded over to me and gave me hug.

"Tsubomi, you're so kind~!" he said. I felt my face heat up. I immediately punched him in the face and pulled my hoodie so that it covered my face.

"Don't call me by that!" I said. Our bickering must have been loud, because the next thing we knew everyone was awake, even Momo.

"Did you make this, Danchou-san?" asked Momo, rubbing her eyes.

"No, Kano did." I answered truthfully.

"I didn't know you could cook, Kano!" said Marry. "And I thought the kitchen was a banned area for you!" Kano sighed.

"Can't you guys all just appreciate the food?" he said. "Judging it would clearly break my heart!" Everyone sat down to eat.

"Wow, it's actually really good! I never expected that from a person like you!" said Ene.

"That's mean, Ene-chan! What do you think, Konoha?" asked Kano. Konoha glanced up from the pile of food in front of him and nodded.

"Awesome." he answered. We went on eating breakfast as usual, not knowing that this day would turn out to be one of the worst days ever.

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I slide the classroom door open and I walk to my seat with Kano, Seto and Marry. When I sat down, I saw a note left on my desk. I immediately frowned after I scanned through the contents. It read:

_Tsubomi Kido:_

_ Seriously? Even as the boss of your gang, you got hurt and had to let your gang members help you stand up? You seriously are weak. Just a small kick from Awaken hurt you so much? Don't even make us laugh. Are you even fit to be the boss?_

_AZAMI_

I let the note flutter out of my hands and onto the desk. I collapse into my chair. I felt terrible. Why AM I the leader, anyways? My fighting skills are average, my punches and kicks are nothing when compared to Konoha or Seto. My grades are way below average, nothing compared to Shintaro or Konoha. So why?

For the first time I questioned myself about myself being leader. Ene could easily be leader. Or Shintaro. Or Konoha. Or Seto. Or even Kano the idiot. Now that I think about it again, I only became leader because when the gang was first formed, Kano thought it'd be cool if I was. I never lived up to the position of 'leader', and now I feel I never will.

"Kido?" Kano asked, bringing me back to reality. I shook my head. I was thinking too much. It's AZAMI, for god's sake. They literally exist to make people suffer.

"Nothing." I muttered, sitting down in my chair. Kano inched closer to me.

"What's that note?" he asked. He reached for the note, but I snatched it first.

"Nothing." I say, shoving it into my pocket and wait for class to start.

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"Are weird things happening to you guys today?" asked Momo. I looked up sharply. Everyone seemed to think and we eventually all came to the same answer.

"Yes." We looked at each other.

"You guys too?" asked Shintaro. I nodded. Suddenly, I heard a laugh. We all looked towards where it was coming from, and we saw AZAMI perched on the fence of our rooftop. They hopped off, and came face to face with us, smirking.

"You've just realized? How stupid. You," said Combine, pointing to me. "Are not fit to be leader." I felt as if someone stepped on my heart. The horrible feeling I felt this morning when I read the letter came back. I stared at the ground, feeling ashamed. Combine took no mercy and she continued with her rambling.

"And you, Kousuke Seto. What can I say? Oh right. You're kinda useless. Your grades are average, and you're not a strong fighter. You have a smile on your face every moment of the day, and that never changes. How boring!" Behind me, I saw Seto's hands balling into fists.

"Shuuya Kano, you're just a liar. Wearing your mask won't conceal how broken you are inside, you idiot. Yet you chose to. Isn't that stupid?" The smile immediately left Kano's face and a slightly shocked expression replaced it.

"Marry Kozakura. The weakest of the group, probably. It's kinda all your fault that your boss got hurt in the first place, isn't it? If you didn't need help, wouldn't your boss be fine? Also, you're just a bother to your group. Tripping and falling all the time." Marry's eyes immediately started tearing up and soon, big teardrops were streaming down her cheeks.

"Oh, and you, Momo Kisaragi. What are you, a magnet or something? You attract people's gazes every moment you breathe. It's gotta be annoying to your gang." Momo was probably restraining herself from running up to Combine and punching her. But she knew better. We all did. Don't mess with AZAMI. Obviously, they had more people than us, and they were all pretty much equally skilled, unlike us. Some members of the Mekakushi Dan stood out while some weren't as good.

"Ene. Just a loud, noisy brat, I guess." The short sentence hit Ene like a blow to the stomach, and everyone could practically see fire burning behind her. Not only her, but Konoha as well.

"Hah?! Well, I'm sorry I'm such a loud, noisy brat!" shouted Ene. Combine, however, ignored her.

"Shintaro Kisaragi. Hmm... Gosh, there's too many things I could say. I bet that if one of your loved ones died you'd become a hikkiNEET and never come in contact with the world anymore." she says.

"Coming such a far way from the countryside to study in a good school, and then you end up joining a gang? That's kinda pathetic, Hibiya Amamiya. Honestly, I wonder if your gang likes you joining them." Combine continues. Hibiya sends a glare in her direction.

"Konoha. You add onto how much your gang needs to spend. Money, I mean. You eat as much as 5 people, and I honestly don't think they'd like that." Konoha still held the furious expression he gained when Combine called Ene a 'loud, noisy brat'.

"You guys should be feeling bad about yourselves now. I don't understand how your gang has been able to be held together with all your flaws, especially with your boss." said Favor. Then someone pressed a button on a remote, and a contraption that was similar to a balloon floated up. They hopped on it and they departed.

The first thought I had was _What the hell was that balloon-like thing. _Retain was probably the one who designed it. Open might have helped. I don't know.

Then, I snapped back to reality. It was all my fault that my members got scolded. By AZAMI. It was all my fault.

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**POV Switch: Shuuya Kano**

Our gang headed back in silence. Except that Marry was still sniffling and crying, everyone else looked fine. Or _tried_ to look fine. I bet none of them were really fine. Inside, they were either hurt or breaking down. The silence was getting uncomfortable for me.

"Kido~! What's wrong? Does your ribs hurt? Oh, could it be you're hurt from AZAMI's words? You know they're always like that, don't you?" I said, leaning in in front of Kido. She stopped walking and pulled her hoodie over her head, covering her eyes. Without a word, she picked up her pace, leaving us behind.

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"Everyone! Dinner is ready!" said Nee-chan from inside the kitchen. Konoha immediately sprang from his seat on the couch to the table. Everyone else walked at a normal pace to the table.

"Hm? Where's Tsubomi?" asked Nee-chan. Everyone either shook their heads or shrugged.

"I'll go see if she's alright." I said, getting up from my seat and walking down the hall. I knocked on Kido's bedroom door.

"Kido? Dinner's ready." I said. There was no response. I knocked again. Still no response. I slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door.

"Kido?" I asked. My eyes blinked to adjust to the sudden darkness. The lights were turned off, and I could barely make out a figure in the darkness. I walked towards Kido and sat down next to her.

"What's wrong?" I asked. She looked away. I looked at her. She was hugging her knees and her hair was not in her usual ponytail, and her eyes were near tears.

"Could it be... You're still thinking about what AZAMI said?" I asked gently. She stayed silent. I sighed. I pulled her close to me and smiled.

"I think Kido's a great leader. You're our leader. Nobody can change that." I said. Then I stood up but I paused at the doorway.

"Dinner's ready, so come out when you feel like." And with that, I left Kido. AZAMI probably wouldn't stop their 'bullying' if we didn't show them we could fight back.

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"I didn't think that the weak little Blindfold Gang would challenge us to a fight now!" sneered Open. I crossed my arms over my chest.

"I don't think I can let off the guys that bullied my - er, our - Kido easily." Oops. Almost made a mistake.

"That reminds me. Where is your weak boss, anyways? Was she too scared to come fight with us?" Open laughed.

"Of course not." I replied.

"Well, let's cut the talking. You'll regret this after we beat you up." said Deceive, cracking his knuckles.

"Wait." says Shintaro. Everyone looks at him. He smiles smugly.

"Let's make a deal. If we loose, we'll stay off of your territory and never bother you all." he said.

"But if we win, you'll stop picking fights with us and you'll praise our leader that she's as pretty as a butterfly every time you refer to her." I said, smiling. Everyone stared at me in surprise.

"Sure. We accept your challenge, Blindfold Gang." said Stare.

The fighting started. With one person missing from us, AZAMI was harder to defeat. But for Kido's sake, we had to win.

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"That's it, AZAMI." I said. We had successfully cornered AZAMI, and they were currently glaring at us defiantly.

"Tsk. Fine!" Combine shouted, and AZAMI ran off. But it doesn't matter anymore. We won.

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When Kido heard about this, she immediately punched me in the gut. "Did you know how dangerous it is?!" she had shouted. I laughed. The normal Kido was back. The Mekakushi Dan was back to normal.

To wrap up this tale, what can I say? How about something witty? Oh, right.

「目隠し、完了。」

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**Preview: Chapter 003 - _Kagerou Daze_**

_"Look out!" A girl's voice screamed, and I turned around just to see a truck coming full speed at me. Eyes widening, I pleaded my feet to move but they were frozen, as if they were stuck onto the ground. I closed my eyes. This is it. The city really wasn't meant for me, was it? Staying at the countryside might have been a better choice... At least we didn't get run over by trucks... Goodbye, my high school life..._

_A hand grabbed mine and pulled me out of the way just in time. I stumbled back and fell onto the ground. I looked up at my savior. She was a high school girl who was probably the same age as me and she was staring at me._

_"Are you crazy? Do you even look at where you're going? You could have died if I didn't pull you out of the way!" she hissed._

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

_"Today, we have a new transfer student joining our class. Her name is Hiyori Asahina. Come in please!"_

__. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .__

_"What are you even staring at? You're disgusting!"_

__. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .__

_"HIYORI!"_

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**Second chapter of _Blindfold Gang _is up! Again, reviews, favorites and follows are well-appreciated! Suggestions are still very welcome! I would love to see where my readers want this story to go to!**

**You guys are awesome, and see you next time!**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	3. 003: Kagerou Daze

**...Geez. Another 44 day update. WOW. Just wow. **

**Personally, this chapter was HARDDDDDD D: I mean, seriously. Apart from the fact it's HibiHiyo (well, that part wasn't that hard actually), the story itself is 4,886 words! That's the longest chapter I have ever written, and oh dear lord that was tiring. I need a break. Good thing is that it's Christmas break now, and I'm going to Japan! Akihabara! **

* * *

The countryside I grew up in was beautiful, yet plain. I was born in a normal family, not poor nor wealthy, and I started going to a normal elementary school. It wasn't much, and I just learned the basics of everything. The environment of the school was not bad, but not good either. The close-to-falling-down roof that leaks when it rains, the wobbly chairs and the lack of teachers was not what I wanted out of a school life. So it was when I was about 10 years old when I decided that I wanted to go to the city.

When I first told them about this dream of mine, my parents could not accept it. "You're crazy," they said. "We don't have the money to send you into the city. Can't you just be happy where you are? What's wrong with the countryside?"

"I'll work part-time jobs! I'll earn my own money!" I said. "If you give me permission -"

"No!" shouted my dad. Then he threw me out of the house. To those evil dogs outside waiting for dinner.

Isn't he just the nicest father in the world?

I tried again and again to convince them, and again and again I was thrown out of the house to the evil dogs. Finally, the rebellious version of myself awakened and I decided to sneak out myself without their permission.

Honestly, I was so scared. I was always a good kid and did what my parents and teachers told me to, and I had never done something this reckless before. Nevertheless, I was convinced that I needed to do this for a better future.

I packed all the clothes and money I had into a suitcase. I took some food from dinner and packed that in as well. When I was sure my parents had all went to bed, I jumped out from the window and ran. I'm going to the city!

I've never been to the city. I've only heard about it from various other kids who came from rich families. There were big buildings that reach to the sky, and everyone got around on private cars or by trains. On these vehicles they all looked at their phones, which was something I supposed only rich people could buy because almost nobody in our community owned one. Now that I'm actually going there, I had no idea what to do.

I soon got multiple part-time jobs. When it was time for me to start middle school, I finally had enough savings to start school in the city. I enrolled in Kagerou Middle School, where I met the Mekakushi Dan. We fooled around together for most of my school life, from the first year of middle school to now.

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I yawned as I waited for the cars to pass on the main road. Staying up late was clearly not an option I should ever take. I rubbed my eyes and yawned again. Stupid homework. Projects weren't fun to do at all. I looked forward and realized that it was okay for us pedestrians to go so I crossed the road.

"Look out!" A girl's voice screamed, and I turned around just to see a truck coming full speed at me. Eyes widening, I pleaded my feet to move but they were frozen, as if they were stuck onto the ground. I closed my eyes. This is it. The city really wasn't meant for me, was it? Staying at the countryside might have been a better choice... At least we didn't get run over by trucks... Goodbye, my high school life...

A hand grabbed mine and pulled me out of the way just in time. I stumbled back and fell onto the ground. I looked up at my savior. She was a high school girl who was probably the same age as me. She had long black hair as smooth as silk and black eyes. She was wearing a pink dress and black long-sleeved shirt underneath. She was beautiful. After a while, I realized she was staring at me.

"Are you crazy? Do you even look at where you're going? You could have died if I didn't pull you out of the way!" she hissed. I panicked. She looked angry.

"I'm sorry!" I said immediately. She looked at the road and the truck that was speeding out of sight.

"But what's wrong with that driver? He was definitely speeding up when he saw the lights change color! We could totally sue him or something! His speedometer definitely showed a 100 or above! What was he even thinking? This is a road with other cars and pedestrians, not the highway!" the girl continued. I nodded, still caught in a daze. She turned to face me.

"Are you alright? Still alive?" she asked, holding a hand out to me. I snapped out of the daze and nodded.

"Yeah. I'm good." I replied. She nodded.

"Good. Be careful next time! I can't be there to pull you out of the way all the time!" she said, turning to walk away. Oh no, she was leaving. Say something, Hibiya Amamiya. Just say something, dammit!

"Um -! Please wait!" I shouted out. She turned around.

"What? Anything else you need?" she asked. Oh crap, I called out to her before I thought of what to say! Great job.

"What's your name?" I finally asked. She raised her eyebrow, as if she thought I was crazy. I realized that it seemed like I was hitting on her and I immediately panicked.

"Um, I just wanted to know the name of my savior, thatsitiswear!" I stuttered, my cheeks flushed. She smiled.

"Hiyori Asahina." she replied, before disappearing into the distance. I stared at where she had been, saying her name over and over again.

_Hiyori._ What a beautiful name.

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"I'm back!" I called out, loosening the shoes on my feet and shuffling into apartment 107. Kido poked her head out from behind the kitchen doorway, a pan and spatula still her in hand.

"Welcome back!" she said. The other members all responded with a "welcome back" and went back to what they were doing. I walked into the living room and looked around. Marry was asleep, her head resting on Seto's lap. Seto caressed her long white hair while looking at her lovingly. Kano was playing poker with Konoha, and Shintaro and Ene were having their usual dual of Headphone Actor, a shooting game that had become popular over the years.

I sat down on the couch beside Kano and did a double take when I saw his cards. R-R-R-Royal Straight Flush?! The possibilities of getting that was only 0.000153846154%! I glanced at Kano, my mouth dropping. He smiled and put a finger in front of his lips. I sighed. I stared up at the ceiling, and my thoughts floated back to the girl.

Hiyori Asahina. My heart pounded in my chest and my cheeks flushed. Will I ever meet her again...? I realized what I was thinking, and quickly shook my head and sat up. What the hell? I can't possibly fall in love with someone that I've just met once and don't know a lot about! But she saved my life... Also, she's beautiful...

Here, I need to clear things up. Hiyori was definitely not the normal 'oh, that girl's pretty' kind of pretty. She was the kind of beautiful that was the 'more beautiful than some teen models' type. I covered my face with my hands. Today was such an eventful day. First, I get shouted at by my teacher for not doing good enough in my project, then I almost get run over by a truck, then I meet the girl who might be the love of my life despite only meeting her for a few minutes and her being the first girl I had a crush on (that's right, Hibiya Amamiya have not had a crush in his 15 year life).

Great. Just great.

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Yawning, I pressed my cheek onto the face of my desk with my arms hanging loosely and powerlessly. My classmates around me talked to their friends happily, and for once I felt a slight yearn for a friend that would talk with me in the mornings in my class. Since I was the only freshman in the Blindfold Gang, it was only normal that none of the other members was in my class. I didn't have a desk partner either. I looked out the window into the glaring heat and sighed. Will I ever meet Hiyori again..?

Just as I asked that question in my mind, our homeroom teacher walked up to the front of the room as the bell rang. The students filed back to their seats.

"Good morning, class. Although it is quite sudden, we will have a transfer student joining us. She just moved in to Mekaku City, so let's give her a warm welcome! Come in, Asahina-san." My eyes widened. Asahina? As in... _Hiyori _Asahina?! I shook my head. No, that's not possible. That's definitely not possible. I can't be _that_ lucky... Can I?

The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the room and I found myself staring into the eyes of my savior, Hiyori Asahina. Oh. Hell. YES. I wanted to jump out of my seat and do a victory dance in front of the whole class. God, I love you! You have made my life so much better thank you so much I love you so much thank you -

"My name is Hiyori Asahina. Nice to meet you." said Hiyori. The class chattered among themselves. The guys were whispering about how beautiful the new transfer student is, and the girls were excited for whatever reason.

"Asahina-san, thank you for the introduction. Your seat will be next to Amamiya-kun. He will show you around the school." the teacher said. I blinked in surprise. God, you're being so kind right now. Oh my god. Hiyori made her way over to the desk beside mine and sat down. I stared at her, enchanted by her every movement. She really was beautiful. I had never been so close to her before.

Suddenly, she turned her head to me. Oh god. Is she going to talk to me? Is she going to recognize me? I bet she's going to be as kind as an angel! Get ready, Hibiya Amamiya, this is the moment of your life -

"What are you even staring at? You're disgusting!"

...Forget what I said.

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"Ah! Um, Hiyori!" I said as she stood up to leave. She turned to face me and frowned.

"Who gave you permission to call me by my first name?" she asked, obviously displeased. I panicked. It's kinda weird to call a girl I 'just met' by her first name, isn't it? Dammit, Hibiya! You just had to mess everything up!

"Whatever, I don't mind. So, what do you need?" she asked, looking annoyed.

"Um... Thank you very much yesterday! Do you remember me? You pulled me out of the way when a truck was going to hit me..." I said hesitantly.

"Oh! Right. Yeah, it was nothing." she replied. "Are you going to give me a tour of the school?" I tensed up and nodded.

"Y-Yes! Um, let's get along!" I stammered. Hiyori smiled ever so slightly. My face immediately heated up. She really did look like an angel when she was smiling!

"Let's get along, Hibiya. Okay, so where are we starting?" she asked. I thought.

"Um... Since it's lunchtime now, how about we start at the cafeteria?" I asked. Hiyori nodded. I immediately picked up my textbooks but my hands slipped and all the papers and notes I had stuck in the textbooks flew to the ground, scattered across the floor.

"Shit!" I cursed, dropping to the ground to pick up my belongings. I realized my use of foul language and I felt Hiyori's gaze bore into me. She sighed and bent down to help me gather my things.

"...Thanks." I said, embarrassed.

"It's nothing." Hiyori replied. I quickly walked out of the classroom and shoved the textbooks into my locker. Then, we walked in the direction of the cafeteria.

"Um, where did you live before you transferred here?" I asked, trying to find something to talk about after the silence was getting too uncomfortable.

"Not far, actually. About an hour's drive away." she answered. "It was all because of my dad's job change that we had to move." she sighed.

"Hiyori... Do you hate it here?" I asked, slightly disappointed.

"Well, I only got here yesterday, so I can't say much." she replied. "But I guess it's okay." Suddenly, she collided into a figure walking in the opposite direction. Hiyori started to fall back, and I rushed to catch her. But the figure was faster. He caught her hand and pulled her up.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I realized it was Konoha she had bumped into. Hiyori nodded, her cheeks becoming visibly pink. I stared at them in horror. Please don't tell me this is going in the direction of the shoujo mangas that I sometimes catch Shintaro reading!

"Oh, yes! I'm totally fine! Thank you very much!" Hiyori answered.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" asked Konoha. Hiyori shook her head. Konoha smiled.

"Good." The shades of pink returned in Hiyori's face. "Ah, Hibiya." Oh dear lord Konoha, did you just realize me standing here?!

"Konoha, where are you going?" I asked. "Roof?" Konoha shook his head.

"I'm going to play DEAD BULLET -1989- with Ene." I nodded.

"Ko...Konoha... You just had to run that fast? Slow down next time!" shouted Ene, appearing from behind Konoha, looking tired. It was obvious that Ene had attempted to catch up with Konoha's superhuman speed and failed. She reached out a hand and pulled on Konoha's cheek, stretching it.

"I'm sorry, Ene! I won't do that again!" Konoha said. Ene sighed and let go of his cheek.

"Seriously, you've got to remember I don't have that superhuman speed of yours." she said. "Ah, Hibiya." Ene, not you too! You just realized I was standing here?! Why are you and your childhood friend (coughcrushahem) so similar?

"You just realized I was here?" I asked, speechless. Ene laughed.

"I'm sorry, kid!" she glanced at Hiyori and her expression turned sly. "On a date with your girlfriend?" My face exploded red.

"W-What are you talking about?! I'm only showing Hiyori around the school! She just transferred here today!" I said frantically. Hiyori sighed and shook her head.

"I won't like a midget like him." she said. It was a simple sentence but it pierced through my heart like an arrow. Or a bullet. Whichever one Hiyori likes better. Ene shrugged.

"Fair enough." she answered.

"See you later, Hibiya." said Konoha. Then they walked off. There was a silence after Ene and Konoha left.

"...So handsome." said Hiyori. I turned to look at her, not sure if I heard her correctly. She clearly didn't mean me, because she was staring at where Ene and Konoha was heading. She obviously didn't mean Ene either. So... Konoha?!

"He is so~ handsome! Hey, what grade is Konoha-san in? How do you know him?" Hiyori asked persistently.

"He's a junior, and we're both in a gang called the Blindfold Gang. We live in the same apartment along with the other gang members." I replied. Hiyori raised an eyebrow at me.

"You're in a gang? You're a delinquent?" she asked, a look of disgust on her face. I panicked.

"Um... No that's not what I meant... Um..." I struggled to come up with an answer. She sighed.

"Whatever, I don't want to listen to what you want to say. Konoha-san is more important! ...Hey, is that girl who was with him his girlfriend?" asked Hiyori.

"Uh, no, but..."

"Great! That means I still have a chance! Humph humph, Ene - that's her name, right? - you better watch out! You are officially my rival! I should make a bento for Konoha-san! Yeah, that's a great idea!" said Hiyori with a look of determination on her face.

Hibiya Amamiya, age 15. Currently has a crush, but she likes one of my best friends. Currently in despair.

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We walked around the school ground with me showing Hiyori around. However, my mind floated back to Hiyori's words about me. Yeah, I know I'm not tall like Konoha, but at least I'm not a midget! Right? RIGHT?

Suddenly, Hiyori stopped in her tracks and I almost crashed into her. I looked in the direction of her gaze. I saw Momo, the obasan, sitting on a bench and eating her bento while reading a book. No, I'm not kidding. Obasan was **reading a book**. Huwat?!

"Who is that girl? She's so beautiful!" Hiyori exclaimed. I raised an eyebrow. Obasan? Beautiful? The words 'you're much more beautiful than that obasan' was just at the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed them back down.

"Oba-, no, Momo Kisaragi, sophomore." I said. Momo looked up from her book and her face literally exploded into smiles.

"Hibiya-kun!" she said, closing her book. She ran over to me and threw her arms around me. I pushed her face away.

"Get off me, Obasan!" I said. To my surprise, it wasn't Momo who gave me a punch, but Hiyori.

"Don't call Momo-san an obasan! She's clearly a high schooler, you idiot!" she shouted. I blinked a few times, surprised. Momo's eyes watered dramatically and she clasped her hands around Hiyori's.

"Thank you! You're such a good kid! What's your name?" she asked. Hiyori's face broke into a huge smile.

"Hiyori Asahina. I'm a freshman and I just transferred here. Hibiya's showing me around the school." she said. Momo smiled. Suddenly, the bell rang, signalizing the end of lunchtime. Momo gathered up her things.

"If you need anything, you can always ask me! I'm in class 2-C~! Second floor, turn right at the stairs and walk straight forward a few steps!" she said, dashing off. Hiyori's eyes were shining like two stars.

"Momo-san is so pretty, and she's so nice! She could definitely be an idol!" Hiyori said admiringly. I raised an eyebrow. That obasan? An idol? Pshttt, hell no.

"Well, if you say so. Um... If we don't head back soon, we'll be late to class..." I said. Hiyori nodded.

"Right. Let's go."

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As soon as I got home, I crumpled onto the couch, with my limbs sprawled and my head hanging. Today was even MORE eventful than yesterday. Showing my crush around the school was clearly not an easy job. Not when you've made a horrible impression on her.

"Dinner's ready!" Kido called out.

What should I do? I don't think I really have a chance with her, since I've heard a few boys in our class whisper about Hiyori and how BEAUTIFUL she is. Not that my opinion contradicted with theirs. But Hiyori probably already hates me, and she likes Konoha. One of my best friends. I covered my eyes and sighed. When I uncovered them, I jumped. Kido and the others were standing around me, staring. I blinked.

"...What?" I asked. Kido raised an eyebrow.

"I said, dinner's ready." she replied. _She did? _I didn't even hear her.

"Honestly, Kido, the people who say you're a ghost must be right. I heard nothing." I said. Kido and Kano both raised an eyebrow simultaneously. Oh god, that was creepy.

"Then how come we all heard her?" said Kano, gesturing to everyone else that was standing. Ene smiled slyly.

"Maybe he was too absorbed in thinking about his girlfriend." she said. My cheeks immediately became flushed.

"Oh? Hibiya has a girlfriend?" asked Kano, suddenly interested. I let out a frustrated shout.

"No I don't!" Kano shrugged.

"Kid, I don't think we believe you. Now, Ene, who's this lucky girl that happens to be our dear Hibiya's girlfriend?" he asked.

"I believe her name is Hiyori." Ene replied.

"Guys, just SHUT UP! If you haven't realized already, Ene, she hates me!" I shouted.

"I don't think she hates you. Hate is a strong word. Hiyori-chan seems like a nice girl. Much nicer than you, Hibiya." said Momo. I stood up abruptly.

"Shut up, Obasan!" Momo threw her hands up in the air.

"See what I mean?" she said. Luckily, everyone else stopped asking me about Hiyori and we could finally eat our dinner in peace. Kind of.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Despite not really having a chance with her, I was still going to confess to Hiyori. I know, I know, I'm kind of pathetic. Why am I confessing to the girl who has already said she doesn't like a midget like me? Come on, everything's worth a try!

After class, when Hiyori was about to leave, I told her to meet me at the benches where we had met Momo yesterday. She said okay reluctantly, and she said she'll be there in five minutes. My heartbeat immediately accelerated and I felt as if my blood pressure rose. I'm not going to die from this, am I? I shook my head at my stupidity. I didn't even die from a car accident that was going to happen, so why am I going to die from a confession? I sat down on the bench and waited. When she, my goddess, appeared, I stood up immediately.

"So, what do you need, Hibiya?" she asked. The feeling of nervousness came back to me and I took a deep breath.

"Hiyori... I know you said you won't like a midget like me the day before... But I still want to tell you! I like you! I really like you! I want to protect your smile more than anything! I like you!" I said. God, this really was cheesy. But these were my real thoughts. Haha, I really am a cheesy person, aren't I?

"Sorry." My heart sank at those words. Well, of course. "But I don't think I should hang with delinquents like you. See you." Hiyori then walked off, leaving me standing alone.

Does that mean... If I quit the Blindfold Gang, she would accept me?

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"I have an announcement to make."

Everyone looked up from what they were doing and stared at me. I stood at the front of the room, a serious expression on my face. It was a painful decision I had made, but the opposite would be even more painful.

"Go ahead then, Hibiya." said Kido. I lowered my head and clenched my fist. Everyone was smiling, eager to hear what I was going to say. I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint them with something terrible.

"I want to quit the Blindfold Gang."

Immediately, the happy atmosphere was gone and silence replaced it. Momo's book dropped from her hand and it fell to the floor with a 'plunk'. After my announcement sank in, the room was in chaos.

"Hibiya, this joke isn't funny." said Ene. I shook my head.

"I'm not joking." I replied. Kido stood up and walked over to me. I shrank back. Kido's bangs and hoodie shadowed over her eyes so much I couldn't see them, but I could tell she was clearly not pleased.

"If you think that way, you must have a reason. Why?" she asked.

"I confessed to Hiyori today." I said. Every member was silent, waiting for me to continue with my story.

"She rejected me. She said she wouldn't hang with delinquents like me. So I thought..."

"That if you quit the Blindfold Gang she would accept you?" said Momo. I looked up, surprised. She grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and yanked me up. I coughed. Marry gasped. I was surprised as well. Although we were all delinquents and we had bad tempers, we didn't try to harm anyone in our own gang. We're a big family, so why harm them? Momo was one of the people in our gang who would be least likely to attempt to harm anyone.

"Really, Hibiya? Really? I know Hiyori-chan's a great girl and all, but Hibiya, I'm going to ask you again, really? You're going to abandon the best friends you've known and been with for more than three years," With that, she pointed to the pictures of us in the picture frames hung on the walls. "For a girl? I always thought you were a loyal friend, Hibiya. I always thought so. I guess I was wrong all along." She dropped me onto the floor and walked away. Kido kneeled down.

"If you really want to quit, I guess we can't stop you. You're welcome to quit. It was nice knowing you, Hibiya." she said. She stood back up and walked back to her room. The other members did the same, slamming the doors.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

After the catastrophic event that happened yesterday, the fellow members of the Blindfold Gang no longer talked to me. ...I really couldn't call them the fellow members anymore. I was no longer part of the Blindfold Gang. I couldn't live in that apartment anymore either. I was ready to leave my delinquent life and live a normal life as a normal high schooler. Just as I wished in my childhood years.

But why am I feeling sad?

I went to school by myself, unlike the usual days. I arrived at my classroom alone, and I sat down. I waited for Hiyori to arrive. When she finally did, I took a deep breaths and was ready to ask her again.

"I quit the Blindfold Gang. I'm not a delinquent anymore." I said. Hiyori glanced at me, surprised, but she said nothing.

"I did all this because I like you. I like you, Hiyori!" I said. I waited for an answer, a good one this time, but the same cold reply came.

"Sorry." I was shocked. I turned to her.

"Why? You said you couldn't hang with delinquents, so I quit the Blindfold Gang!" I exclaimed.

"I'm sorry." she replied. I was near tears now.

"...Can we be friends, at least?" I asked.

"Perhaps."

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

I skipped the next two classes, which happened to be English and History. I hid in a corner against the wall outside of the school building and hid my face in my arms. I just needed some time alone.

I did expect someone to find me. But what I didn't expect was the person who found me being Momo.

I was just about calm when I heard footsteps approaching me. I looked up and saw Momo.

"If you're persuading me to come out, I won't." I said. She shook her head.

"Nope, I'm not." she said, smiling. I thought she'd still be sour about my 'betrayal'. But she wasn't. To my surprise, she came and sat beside me.

"Did you get rejected?" she asked. I nodded.

"It's okay to cry." she said simply.

Stupid obasan...

I just freaking calmed down...

Why am I crying once more?

Tears rolled down my cheeks and I let out a wail. I started crying my heart out. Momo patted my back and hugged me. We sat there, with me crying and Momo calming me down.

When I finally stopped crying, I stood up and wiped away my tears.

"So many things has happened these days," I murmured. Momo nodded. She stood up beside me.

"Everyone's waiting for you. We welcome you back anytime." she said. I looked her, eyes wide. She smiled and ran away.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

I've decided to give up on Hiyori. I've already confessed twice, and she rejected me both times. If I still continue, I'm just stupid, am I not?

Haha, my first crush was really a horrible joke, isn't it? Haha...

I approached the road where I had first met Hiyori. I saw Hiyori cross the road. She was at the middle of the road, when I saw a truck come speeding. I ran forward, my eyes widening in horror. The traffic lights blazed in a shade of bright red.

"Hiyori! Red light!" I shouted. She turned to her left, and her eyes widened. She probably never thought that this was going to happen to her.

Just a few more steps. Just a few more steps then I can reach her, and pull her out of the way. Just like she did to me.

I just needed a few more seconds. Just a few more seconds, then I could have reached her.

On the zebra crossing, there left the remains of wheel marks, and some red marks. Although I can't do anything anymore, I still run towards you.

That isn't you.

It's not the one who just refused me.

It's just a red object that happened to be lying there.

No matter what others say, that definitely isn't you.

...I feel like vomiting, and my head throbs. There seems to be water in my eyes, my sight becomes blurry. Drops of water fall onto the road. It seems that it's coming from my eyes.

I keep repeating the same words over and over again, and I keep wishing that it can become the truth:

"That's definitely not you who died."

* * *

**Preview: 004 - _Headphone Actor_**

_"HAH?! ENE HAS A TWIN SISTER?!"_

_"Why didn't you tell us about her before?" asked Momo. Ene raised an eyebrow._

_"You didn't ask."_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

_"A new student will be joining us today. Her name is Actor Enomoto."_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

_"Hey, this girl is part of the Blindfold Gang, isn't she? Maybe we can get some information out of her. Then we can become the strongest gang!" said the teenager, snaking closer along with his friends. I was soon cornered against the wall. Suddenly, the teenager was kicked in the back and he fell to the floor._

_"Lay your dirty hands off her, you idiotic humans."_

_"Kokonose?!"_

_"Don't call me Kokonose; I don't want you getting me mixed up with my brother. I'm Kuroha."_

* * *

**This is the third chapter: Kagerou Daze! I hope you guys enjoyed it and had as much fun as I had writing this. **

**Reviews and favorites and follows and that sort of stuff is always well appreciated! Love you all, and see you guys next time!**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	4. 004: Headphone Actor

**A/N: Hey, all of you! A shorter time in between updates, let's see if I can do better next time! This chapter has again broken the record of longest chapter I have written with 5,889 words. WHOA. I never imagined myself being able to write a chapter this long! This is definitely because of KuroAct being one of my OTPs... (facepalm) But that's not a bad thing. I'm not sure if Kuroha and Actor are written in character all the time, I did my best to make sure they are considering the fact that they had so. Less. Screen time. I'm still mad about that. Anyways, please enjoy, and I hope you have fun~!**

**P.S. I'm not trying to hunt anyone down or anything like that (nothing of the sort!), but I've noticed that the last chapter got less reviews than the previous two. Did I not do a good job or something like that? I just want to see your thoughts on the chapters, that's all. Thanks to the people who reviewed, by the way :)**

* * *

"EHHHHHHHHH?!"

A morning that was supposed to be peaceful was approached by this loud scream that seemed to make the whole house shake violently. Ornaments on the desks and shelves shook and the Blindfold Gang members rushed to catch them. After they successfully caught them, put them back on their respective spots and caught their breaths, they rushed to see if the screamer, Ene, was alright.

"Ene! Are you okay?" asked Kido, as all the members ran into Ene's bedroom. Ene sat on the bed, still in her blue pajamas and a bed-head, staring at her phone with her eyes wide. Everyone blinked and blinked, waiting for an answer from the blue haired girl. She looked up at her friends slowly.

At this moment, everyone thought something HUGE had happened. ANYTHING could have happened. Her parents could have returned from their business overseas and demanded that she go with them (source: Konoha). She could have finally scored higher than 60 (source: Shintaro Kisaragi). ANYTHING.

"Actor is coming." she said, her voice barely even a whisper. Everyone blinked in confusion, except Konoha. He cocked his head.

"Actor? Wasn't she brought overseas for studying by Mr. and Mrs. Enomoto?" he asked. Ene sighed.

"She suddenly sent me a text and told me she's coming. Today. Now. To our school." she said, massaging her temples. Momo raised a hand.

"Um.. Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but... Who's Actor?" she asked. Everyone else nodded. Ene looked everyone in the eye, her expression showing dead seriousness.

"She's my twin sister." she said. Silence fell over the small group. Then, the second outburst occurred.

"HAH?! ENE HAS A TWIN SISTER?!" The Blindfold Gang members (excluding Ene and Konoha) screamed.

"Why didn't you tell us about her before?" asked Momo. Ene raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't ask." she replied.

"Now that I think about it, we don't know about Ene's family at all." said Shintaro. Ene raised an eyebrow.

"Like I said, that's because you guys didn't freaking ask before!" she said, exploding with annoyance. She fell back onto the bed and let out a long sigh.

"She just had to tell me first thing in the morning..." she murmured. Suddenly, she sat back up.

"Oh my god." she said. "Actor is going to hate me." Everyone else was surprised.

"Why?" asked Konoha. Ene sighed.

"Think about it, Konoha. When's the last time she saw me?" Konoha thought for a while.

"...Third grade, I think?" he replied.

"Did I look like THIS in third grade?" said Ene, pointing at her blue hair. Konoha shook his head.

"No. Ene had black hair." he said.

"So when she sees my blue hair and my wounds and hears about us, she's probably think because I'm a fucking delinquent and part of a gang so she can't talk to me, which is not true!" Ene spat out. Kido sighed.

"Ene, is your twin sister that kind of person? Probably not. So stop worrying and come to breakfast." she said, walking out of the room. Everyone else followed.

"Ene? You coming?" asked Konoha. Ene nodded.

"Yeah." she said, sighing.

"Today's gonna be difficult."

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

**POV Switch: Actor Enomoto**

I don't know what Mom and Dad were thinking. First, they take me overseas for school when I was still a kid, away from my twin sister and best friend, then they tell me to go back without any warning beforehand. There must be something wrong with them. Couldn't I just have stayed in one place? It's annoying, moving, that is.

Also, I'm going back ALONE. I repeat, ALONE. 'Alone' spelled a-l-o-n-e. As in 'having no one else present; on one's own'. I'm going to have to rent a house or apartment or WHATEVER, cook my own food and all the other shit. I mean, I know I'm a high schooler, but still.

How did Takane even manage?

Oh wait, that reminds me. Takane is going to be in the same school! I wonder where she's living and she's doing... We haven't seen each other for, let's see, nine years. Oh dear lord, we're gonna have a blast together!

I hope we're in the same class...

Our teacher doesn't look that nice. The teacher of the class beside ours, class 3-B looks nicer. Or rather more stupid than ours. That teacher's name is Kenjirou Tateyama.

Why am I remembering the other teacher's name before my teacher's name?

I feel this year's gonna be hopeless.

Also, I was sure I was not going to have a great time here.

"A new student will be joining us today. Her name is Actor Enomoto." My teacher was saying. That's supposed to be my cue to enter, so I did. Everyone stared at me with an expression I could not identify what it was supposed to mean. Was it... Fear?

This is one messed-up group.

"I'm Actor Enomoto. Nice to meet you." I said simply. I've learnt that all those 'make-a-good-first-impression-and-they'll-like-you' things are bullshit. First impressions don't really matter. Honestly.

"Enomoto-san, your seat will be next to Kokonose-kun." said the teacher, gesturing to my new seat. I blinked. Kokonose? As in _Haruka_ Kokonose? As in _the guy who has lived next to our house for as long as I remember and is my childhood friend _Kokonose?

I stared at the boy sitting there and immediately mentally slapped myself. Hell no, that is NOT Haruka. Although he looked identical to Haruka, he definitely isn't. If he is, then I would have to grab him by the shoulders and shout 'WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOURSELF HARUKA' in his face. The 'Kokonose-kun' looked up from under his desk (Is he _texting _or something under there?!).

"I thought I said to call me 'Kuroha' and not 'Kokonose-kun'. That's my brother. Not me." he said, looking annoyed. I raised an eyebrow. This Kokonose has a brother. Haruka's brother? Wait, Haruka had a brother? How come I never knew?

"Oh yes, that's right. I forgot. I'm sorry, Kuroha-kun. Now, Enomoto-san, please take your seat." said the teacher. I walked over to my new spot and sat down. The teacher started teaching. First class was science. My least favorite class. Kokonose sneered at me.

"Your last name." he said. I turned to look at him.

"What?" I hissed.

"Your last name is Enomoto. Are you related to Ene?" he asked. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Ene? Who the hell is Ene?" I asked.

"Well, her real name is Takane Enomoto, though nobody calls her that anymore." he said, leaning back in his chair and completely ignoring the teacher's looks of disapproval. I also noticed that the teacher didn't say anything and kept on going with the lesson. I blinked.

"You know my sister?!" I exclaimed. Kokonose raised an eyebrow and looked me up and down.

"You're her sister? How come I've never seen you?" he asked. Our teacher cleared his throat.

"Kuroha-kun, Enomoto-san, if you have to talk, you might as well go outside of the classroom." he said. I tensed. This isn't good. Being caught talking on the first day of school? Kokonose, however, looked nowhere nervous. He narrowed his eyes and shot a _glare _at the teacher. No, I'm serious. He _glared_ at the teacher. Our teacher tensed and looked nervous.

"Um, I mean, please finish your conversation outside of the classroom and come back in when you're done..." he said slowly and nervously. Kokonose stood up and left his seat, and I followed cautiously. I felt all the eyes of the students and the teacher on me and I laughed nervously. When we left the classroom, Kokonose closed the door and leaned against the wall.

"So, Actor Enomoto. You're Ene's sister. You guys do look alike. By that, I mean by _a lot._" he said.

"We're twin sisters. Identical twins. Of course we look alike." I said, rolling my eyes. Kokonose looked surprised.

"Oh? Is that so? Heh... Then how come I've never seen you? I've been around that girl for god knows how long." he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That reminds me. Is Haruka your brother?" I asked. Kokonose looked as if he was about to laugh, but he was restraining him from doing so.

"Haruka... Ha, it's been so long since I've heard someone refer to him by that name." he said. I raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about? Haruka is Haruka. That's his name. What else can somebody call him?" I said. Kokonose gave me a 'did-you-live-your-life-in-a-hole' look.

"He now goes by the name of Konoha. Just like how Takane is now Ene. And yeah, I'm Konoha's twin brother." he replied. I wrinkled my forehead.

"What? Why do they have new names now? I'm so confused." I said.

"You don't know anything, do you? Seriously, you're really out of date right now." he said. I crossed my arms over my chest.

"I'm sorry, my parents took me overseas in third grade and I lived a huge part of my life there! I just came back yesterday, so it's obvious I don't know anything!" I said. Kokonose shrugged.

"Whatever. Then would you be surprised if I told you your dearest sister and my brother are in a gang with some other people?" he said, smirking. I raised an eyebrow.

"I'll be more surprised if you told me you're not a delinquent and part of a gang." I retorted. Kuroha laughed.

"Sorry to disappoint you, then. Ene and Konoha are part of the Blindfold Gang, and I'm part of AZAMI. These two are the strongest gangs of Kagerou Street. The Blindfold Gang has nine members. Your sister is NO.6, and Konoha is NO.9. Oh, and they both dyed their hair." At this, I choked on air and swung my head to look at him.

"What?!" I exclaimed. Kokonose nodded.

"You heard me. They dyed their hair. Ene dyed hers into blue, and Konoha into white." he said. My mouth hung open and I gaped.

"Also, someone beat your sister in both DEAD BULLET -1989- and headphone actor." he continued. Oh dear lord, please tell me I heard him wrong. Someone beat Takane in headphone actor?! The game I created?!

"Who?! When?! How?!" I shouted.

"NO.7, Shintaro Kisaragi of the Blindfold Gang. I think about a few years ago, and Ene still can't get over the fact. How would I know how?" Kokonose replied. I slumped against the wall.

Suddenly, the bell rang, signalizing the end of class and the beginning of lunch. I slid open the classroom door and went back to my seat, tired. That was a heck of a lot of information that had to be absorbed. I laid my face onto the desktop and sighed.

"Enomoto-san?" I looked up to see a girl from my class standing next to my seat.

"Hey, tell me, how did you get Kuroha-kun to talk to you?" she asked. I raised an eyebrow. Please don't tell me Kokonose had a crazy fangirl following him.

"He started talking to me first." I said simply. The girl looked surprised.

"Really?!" she said. "Hey, Enomoto-san, did you know that you're the first person Kuroha-kun talked to voluntarily?"

"So?" I replied, annoyed. Damn, she's annoying.

"So you're special! I bet he's fallen in love with you!" she said. I raised an eyebrow and ignored (or attempted to ignore) my heating face.

"Okay, listen, he's just the brother of a childhood friend. Nothing else." I said. The girl smirked.

"Really? 'Cause I think -"

"Get out of my way, you pitiful human." I looked up and saw Kokonose standing over both me and the girl (did I forget to mention he's really, really tall?). The girl looked immediately nervous and scared.

"Oh... Kuroha-kun... Ahaha... I'm sorry... It was nice talking to you, Enomoto-san..." she said, running away. I sighed and rose from my seat.

"Oi, Enomoto. You wanna eat lunch with me?" asked Kokonose. The heat returned to my face and a sneaking suspicion of what the girl had mentioned previously returned. I immediately shook it away. Haruka's brother, in love with me? Who I have suspicions of having chuunibyou, being emo, and so different from Haruka? Haha, don't joke.

"Not today, sorry. I have to find Ta - um, Ene. Maybe next time!" I said. Kokonose nodded.

"Do you know where they are? You're not gonna search the whole school, are you?" he asked. I froze awkwardly. He sighed.

"They're at the rooftop. Have fun." he said. I nodded, then ran to the stairs.

Thanks, Kokonose.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

I stopped in front of the door of the roof and took a few deep breaths. I slapped my cheeks to wake myself up and opened the door. The sight before me was not surprising, but new. A black haired boy wearing a red hoodie sat, eating lunch while possible browsing webpages on his phone. A girl with a red scarf around her neck sat beside him, and beside her was Takane (Ene, I corrected myself hastily). A boy (or is he/she a girl?) wearing a purple hoodie sat with a boy wearing a grey hoodie and a boy wearing a green hoodie. A girl wearing an orange hoodie sat with a girl wearing a pink hoodie. A boy wearing a light blue hoodie sat with Haruka (again, I had to correct myself).

So this is the Blindfold Gang...

They all wore hoodies of the same basic design, the left half being white and the right half being a color, most likely their favorite color, and a white clip on their hood. Some designs varied, for example Ene's sleeves were so long they covered her hands by a lot and the pink hoodie was more like a cape. Is it like a symbol of being part of a gang or something? I wasn't sure about THAT, but I was sure that they were cool.

The whole gang looked up at the sound of the door opening. I stiffened. Damn, this is awkward. I suddenly didn't know what to say.

"...Uh, yo, sis! How's life?" I finally said. I could see Ene's eyes well up with visible tears.

"Actor! Oh my god, I missed you~! How was life overseas? I'm so glad you're back!" she said, giving me a huge bear hug. I felt the air being squeezed out of me so I had to push her back and allow myself to breathe.

"Ah, sorry..." she said, awkwardly looking at the coughing me. I laughed.

"No, it's fine! I'm glad to be back too." I said. Konoha walked up to me, his eyes all glittery.

"Actor! You're back!" he said. I nodded.

"I'm back, and here to stay for good." I said, smiling. I saw the rest of the gang walking up to me. The girl in the orange hoodie smiled.

"So you're Ene's sister! I'm Momo Kisaragi, nice to meet you! Wow, you guys really do look alike!" she said energetically. The boy in the red hoodie rolled his eyes at her comment.

"Did you not listen or something? They're identical twins. Of course they look alike." he said. "I'm Shintaro Kisaragi, by the way." I blinked.

"Oh, so you're the guy who beat my sister in DEAD BULLET -1989- and headphone actor?" I asked. Ene's face turned red with both anger and embarrassment. She clutched my collar.

"Who told you about that? Holy shit, I am going to beat the crap out of that idiot!" she said. I raised an eyebrow. Becoming a delinquent sure changed you, Ene...

"Kuroha Kokonose." I replied. I noticed immediately that my careless comment made the atmosphere change completely. Everyone seemed to suck in a deep breath at the name. Ene's gaze darkened into a glare.

"What else did he tell you?" she asked. I shrugged.

"Nothing much, really. Beside the fact that he's Konoha's brother, just that you two," I said, pointing to her and Konoha. "dyed your hair and got new names, are now in a gang, and that Kisaragi-kun beat you in the two games." I shrugged. Ene relaxed a bit but her eyes were focused and serious.

"Listen, Actor. Take my advice and don't go near that guy." she said, dead seriousness in her voice. I raised an eyebrow.

"Why? Oh, and that reminds me. How come I've never seen him before? Isn't he Konoha's brother? We grew up with Konoha, so how come I've never even known Konoha has a brother?" I asked. Ene just sighed and it was Konoha who answered my question.

"It's actually all just a coincidence, Ene. The days you didn't have track practice and hung out with us, Kuroha had detentions and fights and all that stuff. The days he wasn't in trouble, you had track practice." he said. I raised an eyebrow.

"That's... Good to know?" I said finally. "Whatever. I don't want to waste my time on a chuunibyou emo." The boy in the grey hoodie doubled over with laughter and he slapped his knee.

"Oh hell, that's a good one! This girl is awesome, I swear!" he said. "I'm Shuuya Kano, NO.3 of the Blindfold Gang, and I'm a sophomore. Please call me Kano, because that's a much cooler name. Nice to meet you, Actor!" I laughed.

"Sure, Kano. Nice to meet you." I said.

"And here beside me I have our honorable leader, NO.1 of the Blindfold Gang, Tsubomi Kido~! Like me, she's a sophomore and she would like to be called Kido for the same reason. Oh, if you haven't noticed I used feminine personal pronouns in the previous sentences, Kido is a girlowwwowwwoww that hurts owwwww -" Kido started kicking Kano in mid-sentence in the shins and he was now doubling over with not laughter, but pain. I cringed when I imagined the pain he was feeling. The boy in the green hoodie laughed.

"Don't worry, this happens very often, if not daily. I'm Kousuke Seto, NO.2 of the Blindfold Gang, sophomore too. Kido, Kano and I are siblings adopted by Aya-nee's parents." he said, gesturing to the girl with a red scarf. She smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Actor-san! I'm Ayano Tateyama, and I'm a junior! Ene, Konoha, Shintaro and I are in the class next to yours! Um, I'm not part of the Blindfold Gang, because I'm not the fighting type - Ah! I don't mean to offend anyone, but I'm just -" I laughed.

"It's fine, Ayano-chan! I can call you that, right? You can just call me Actor as well, same goes with everyone else." I said.

"U-Um! I'm Marry Kozakura, NO.4... Let's get along, Actor...!" I smiled at the timid girl wearing the pink cape-like hoodie who barely made any eye contact.

"Sure, Marry! Nice to meet you!" I said. Marry looked up at me and her face bloomed into a huge smile. There was a small silence afterwards until Momo introduced the last member, who had always kept quiet.

"Oh, and this is Hibiya Amamiya, NO.8 of the Blindfold Gang! He's a cute little freshman, and the youngest of us all~!" she said, ruffling his hair. Hibiya looked up at her, annoyed.

"Shut up, oba-" Momo slammed a palm over his mouth and shot him a look of pure, dark hate, and he shut up.

"Sweet. Nice to meet you, Hibiya! So, what's it like to be in the Blindfold Gang?" I asked, taking a pocky from Ene, who had held out the pack and offered it to me.

"Uh... I-I guess it's not much different from being normal p-people?" said Ene, stuttering. I was disappointed.

"Aw, so it's not like you get into fights and be all badass? No offense, but that's kinda disappointing..." I said. Ene's eyes widened.

"Actor... You... You don't think it's bad that we're delinquents and we get into fights and all like everyone else?" asked Ene. I was surprised. Ene thought that way? I couldn't believe it. I sighed.

"Honestly, I think it's really cool being in a gang. No, seriously! I'm not kidding! I'm not going to judge you or anything." I said. Shintaro shot Ene an 'I-told-you-so' expression. Ene shot a glare back at him. Kano waltzed in next to me.

"Then why not join us, Actor? What do you think, leader~?" he asked, looking at Kido. She shrugged.

"Sure, why not. I mean, if she wants to, that is. It's not like we're forcing you or anything, so..." she says, nervous. I laughed.

"Seriously? Then I shall!" I said. At this point, you guys might think I'm crazy or something. Joining a gang and becoming a delinquent when I could have lived a normal high school life. Why would I want to be bad when I've been good for such a long time? If you ask me these things, I would laugh at you. High school is the time of our lives; why not do something fun and crazy while we're young? Sounds cliché, I know, but it's pretty true.

"Hmm... Then what should her gang number be?" asked Seto. Momo looked at him.

"Shouldn't she be NO.10?" she asked.

"It sounds kinda weird..." said Hibiya. Everyone thought for a while, before Ayano spoke up with an idea.

"How about Actor being NO.6.5? Because Ene is NO.6, and Actor is Ene's twin sister, so..." she said, trailing off. I thought about it. NO.6.5 of the Blindfold Gang.

"I think it's cool! I like it!" I said. Kido nodded.

"Yeah, that's a great idea." she said. I smiled.

"Blindfold Gang, NO.6.5, Actor Enomoto!" I tried. Well, that sounded freaking awesome. I smiled to myself.

"Do you have a place to stay at yet, Actor?" asked Kido. I shook my head.

"Nope, not yet. I just arrived yesterday, and I stayed at a hotel. I'm going to have to rent a house sometime soon." I said. Kido smiled ever so slightly.

"Then why not stay with us? We've rented an apartment, and the whole Blindfold Gang lives there together. Don't worry, we split the rent fee between all of us. You can share a room with Ene, although you guys may have to squish a bit when Aya-nee comes and visits sometimes. So... What do you think?" she asked.

"That... Would be awesome, thanks!" I said. Living in an apartment with these awesome people? Hell, high school life away from my parents may not be bad at all!

"Then it's settled! We're gonna have a blast together, Actor!" said Ene, putting an arm around me, laughing. I smiled as well.

My awesome high school life back here is gonna start!

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

As soon as the bell that signalized the end of the school day rang, the Blindfold Gang appeared at the doorway of my classroom, not one of them missing. I was quite surprised. That made me feel like such an important person, ehehe... Beside me, Kokonose raised an eyebrow.

"The whole team has arrived? Whoa there, aren't you important, Enomoto?" he said. I gathered up my things and stood up out of my seat.

"I joined the Blindfold Gang, Kokonose. Of course they'd be here. Whatever, see you tomorrow." I said, walking away. I felt his gaze bore into me. I sighed and walked to my group.

"Hey guys!" I said. Everyone greeted me differently. First, we stopped by my hotel room to get my luggage, and then we headed... to the Blindfold Gang base.

"Are you gonna join any clubs, Actor?" asked Momo. I thought.

"There's a track and field club, right?" I asked. Seto nodded.

"Then I'm joining it. I've been in the track and field club in various different schools for literally almost my whole life. Not trying to brag, by the way!" I said.

"Actor is really fast at running." said Konoha. I laughed.

"Thanks. But I feel I'm only good at long-distance, I'm not as good in short-distances." I said. Which was true. I've ran so many marathons and came in first place so many times, whereas I get third places or lower in short-distance races.

"To you, getting a third place means you've failed in running." said Ene, rolling her eyes. I punched her playfully.

"Shut up, Ene." I said, not in a mean way. Ene laughed good-naturedly.

"How was life overseas?" asked Marry. I shrugged.

"Nothing really interesting, I guess. It isn't much different, except having to make friends and all again and stuff. Sometimes that really stood out in life was probably making DEAD BULLET -1989- and headphone actor..." I was cut off by Shintaro.

"Wait. What. WHAT? Did you just say... you _made _the games? As in... CREATED THEM?" he shouted. I stepped back a few steps and covered my ears.

"Ow, that hurt, you idiot!" I shouted back.

"Sorry! But answer me question! You created the two games?!" he said. I sighed.

"Yes, I did. I thought of the idea, programmed it, released it and yeah, that's basically it." I said, shrugging like it was no big deal. It really wasn't. I had a love for video games since I was young, like Ene, so I just started to go to programming classes and created a game that happened to be loved by a lot of people. Shintaro, however, didn't seem to think so. Neither did the rest of the Blindfold Gang.

"Whoa, Actor, don't tell me... You're a pro?!" exclaimed Kano. I laughed.

"Don't call me a pro! It's really not that big of a deal." I said.

"Um, excuse me, but it kinda is." said Hibiya.

"Sorry to interrupt your shock, but we're here." said Kido. I just noticed that we had already arrived in front of a door. The numbers on the door read '107'. So... Apartment 107? Kido fished around in her pocket and brought out a key. She unlocked the door and everyone shuffled in. We took off our shoes and everyone settled onto the couches. I looked around the apartment. It was quite a big apartment, and it was extremely clean. Many pictures of the Blindfold Gang were hung on walls and put on shelves, giving off a feel of family.

"Actor! Come, I'll show you our room!" said Ene excitedly. I nodded and followed her to the room the farthest down the hallway. A whiteboard hung on the wall, and it read: 'Ene's room'.

"I'm changing that later." said Ene, noticing me glancing at the whiteboard. I nodded. Ene opened the door and we walked into the room. I looked around. There was a single bunk bed and two desks with chairs. Just the normal things that a student's room would have.

"So... How is it?" asked Ene.

"It's great." I said. "I'm definitely going to enjoy life here." Ene nodded.

"You're definitely going to. So, we're going to have dinner in, like, two hours, so now is usually our homework time. Although these desks are meant for doing homework, we usually do our homework outside so everyone can help."

"Okay, got it! Let me just put down my things. You can go first!" I said. Ene nodded.

"See ya!" she said, slipping out of the room. I glanced around my new room and set my face into a smile.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

My second day back at my home city went quite normal. Class was boring, Kokonose kept texting during class (who the hell is he even texting to?!) and lunch with friends was pretty awesome. I felt like I was going to get used to this amazing life, which wasn't a bad thing at all. I decided that I would go back home alone and explore Kagerou Street a bit. When I told my friends, they looked at me in anxiously.

"Are you sure?" asked Momo. "There are a lot of other small gangs that have us as the target. They might hurt you!"

"Naw, I'll be fine. Although I'm new, I'm part of the Blindfold Gang as well, and I can still punch people. Hard. Right, Ene?" I asked, looking to my twin sister. She, however, looked a bit uneasy.

"Oh, don't worry, sis, if punching doesn't work, I can always run." I said. Ene sighed.

"Okay, then. Don't be wandering around too much! Come home before it gets dark." she said. I chuckled.

"Okay, okay! Don't start sounding like Mom." I said. So after school, the others of the Blindfold Gang left without me, and I started exploring Kagerou Street. I found there was a Starbucks, a karaoke, a game center, a crêpe shop, various restaurants, a movie theatre and many, many others. This street has literally EVERYTHING that teens love! Just as I was about to return home, I noticed a few teenagers approach me.

"Hey. Where are you going? Let us accompany you." they said. I raised an eyebrow. Whoa there. That death flag there.

"No, I refuse." I said, pushing my way out. They frowned at me.

"Whoa there, you're not going this easily." one of them said, grabbing my wrist and flinging me back against the wall. Ow, you fucking idiots, that really hurt! I winced slightly.

"Hey, this girl is part of the Blindfold Gang, isn't she? Maybe we can get some information out of her. Then we can become the strongest gang!" said another teenager, snaking closer along with his friends. They snickered. I glared at them. I'm not going to just stand here and get beaten up!

"I'm leaving, idiots. Get out of my way." I said. I started to leave, but then one of them stomped on my foot. He did have a lot of strength, and because that really did fucking hurt, I fell to the ground. They kicked my feet again and again, and not just my feet. My legs, hands and arms, too. I tried to revolt in the beginning, but soon I realized they were much stronger than me, so I gave up. I was already getting used to the pain now, until suddenly, the 'boss' of the gang was kicked in the back, HARD, and he fell to the floor. The others stopped kicking me and looked up. I opened my eyes and looked at my savior.

"Lay your dirty hands off her, you idiotic humans." he said. I blinked.

"Kokonose?!" I screamed. He frowned.

"Don't call me Kokonose, and I mean it; I don't want you getting me mixed up with my brother. I'm Kuroha." he said. His eyes narrowed and his lips curled into a cruel and sly smile. "Now, why don't we teach these bastards a lesson?" The teenagers' eyes had widened and they gulped.

"Kuroha Kokonose... Of AZAMI..." one of them said. They quickly started running away from us.

"Wait up~, I'm not done with you yet~!" Kokonose - excuse me, Kuroha - said, and right after he finished his sentence, he dashed at an amazing inhumane speed and cut in front of them. He swung his leg at them and sent two of them crashing into the wall with one kick. With one swift movement of his fist, he punched the last few and they laid on the ground, groaning in pain. I stared at him, and I felt my cheeks get hot and my heart start to beat faster. I shook my head and scolded myself silently. What the fuck am I thinking?

"That's the lesson you get for harassing Actor." he murmured. Kuroha walked over to me slowly and gave me a sly smile.

"So. What'd the mighty NO.6.5 of the Blindfold Gang, Actor Enomoto, do to get into such trouble?" he asked. I shot him a glare. So much for being thankful to him.

"Nothing." I retorted. "I'm going home." I stood up and attempted to walk - or even limp - back to my home, but I felt a strong pain in my feet and I ended up falling into Kuroha's arms. My face burned like crazy and he snickered.

"Are you hurt, Actor?" he asked, with a taunting tone.

"No, I'm perfectly fine, Kuroha!" I said angrily. I tried again and again to walk ahead, but my feet were pretty much dead weight and I couldn't walk at all. I kept falling again and again, and if it wasn't for Kuroha, I would have fallen flat on my face multiple times.

"...I'm hurt." I finally said. Kuroha laughed.

"Then why didn't you say so before?" he said, picking me up. My face burned tomato red.

"P-P-P-P-Put me down, you idiot! Don't you know how to pick people up more normally?" I screamed. Kuroha Kokonose, the chuunibyou emo, had picked me up... bridal style. I thrashed around in his arms, but immediately regretted it because of my wounds.

"But that's how I pick people up normally. Now, where are we going?" he asked. I gave up trying and told him that I was going back home and the address. He nodded.

"'Kay." he said simply. I rested my head on his chest, partially because I was tired, and I could hear his heartbeat. He was surprisingly warm, and I fell asleep with the warmth surrounding me...

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

The minute I woke up, Ene's face came into view.

"OHMYGOD ACTOR ARE YOU OKAY LIKE SERIOUSLY I SHOULDN'T HAVE ALLOWED YOU TO GO ALONE LOOK AT YOU YOU'RE ALL BEATEN UP WHO IS PART OF THAT STUPID GANG I AM GOING TO BEAT THEM INTO A PULP OH DEAR LORD I SWEAR HOW DARE THEY BEAT UP MY TWIN SISTER -" she screamed. Konoha had to clamp a hand over Ene's mouth to shut her up. I sighed.

"Gosh, Ene, it's really nothing." I said. I looked around and noticed that Kuroha wasn't here.

"Kuroha left?" I asked. Kido sighed.

"Yeah." she said. Kano laughed.

"We were so surprised when he appeared in the doorway with you in his arms! Seriously! Marry spilt the tea!" he said. "Again!" Marry pouted.

"I thought we weren't going to talk about that again!" she said. Kano laughed.

"Sorry, sorry!" he said.

"Actor, here's something we thought you would like." Seto said. He handed me a package and as soon as I opened it, I gave a squeal of delight.

It was the Blindfold Gang hoodie, half white and half black. The number '6' was written on the right side with a small '.5'. It was perfect.

"We thought that because you're part of us now, you would want to have this." said Momo, smiling. "Do you like it?"

"Are you kidding? Yes!" I said, grinning like an idiot. "Thanks so much!" The Blindfold Gang smiled back at me.

Remember how I thought that I was going to hate my life here?

I've changed my mind.

I tried the hoodie on and it fit perfectly. I put on my headphones and smiled as I listened to my music.

I had lived my life in a box; but now, I'm free.

* * *

**Preview: 005 - _Konoha's State of the World_**

_"What the hell is this box even full of? Why is it so freaking heavy?" Teetering on the ladder, Ene attempted to put the box of 'NOT NEEDED ANYMORE ITEMS' onto the top of the shelves. When she couldn't reach it, she threw it up above and once she saw it had landed safely, she sighed and faced away from the tall shelf.  
_

_"Be careful, Ene!"_

_"ENE!"_

_..._

_"Ko...KONOHA!"_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

_"Konoha! Are you okay? Oh hell that was scary. I'm so sorry. I should have been more careful! I'm so sorry! I'll buy you lots of negima. Please forgive me!"_

_"..."_

_"K...Konoha?"_

_"Wh...Who are you?"_

* * *

**This has been chapter four of Blindfold Gang, Headphone Actor! I hope you have enjoyed this chapter and please anticipate for the next one! Bushels of HaruTaka/KonoEne coming up! Again, reviews and favorites and follows and that sort of stuff are always well-appreciated and please leave me lots of them! Also, feel free to contact me and give me some suggestions! Have a nice day! Love you all, see you next time!**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	5. 005: Konoha's State of the World

**HELLO ALL! CHINNIE AI HAS REVIVED FROM THE DEAD! I'm so sorry, I haven't updated in SUCH a long time! I've been busy with a drama film project, which I have to film and edit myself. I've been going in at lunchtimes for a week now and haven't had any lunch at all for a week. I just don't want to fail school T-T**

**Aaaaanyways, great news to all! I'll be starting on two new stories here! One of them will be all members, and one will be HaruTaka! The one with all members will be a music academy AU, where the Mekakushi Dan are students who study in a, well, music academy. The main character will be Hibiya, although that doesn't mean that things will be focused on him all the time, it's just that the story will start out with him and it will be told in his POV. The Mekakushi Dan meets and, for a project that takes up 80% of their final grade, creates, films, edits and produces a movie... Called the Kagerou Project. **

**The theme for the HaruTaka story is the four seasons. I will release 12 chapters in total, and there will be three chapters about each season. I will be posting one chapter each month on the 15th. There will be HaruTakaness overload, so be prepared!**

**I would love it if you guys would check it out when I release them. Arigatou, and continue to the story! **

**P.S. A big thank you to FionaRel, she's the one who gave me this idea. Thanks so much, arigatou!**

* * *

The gang didn't know what had gotten into their leader when she announced that they would take this Saturday and have a huge clean up session of their base, their dear apartment 107. However, they (some silently, some excitedly) did as they were told, and so the Blindfold Gang's First Big Clean Up Day started. The members took mops, brooms and towels, and the girls tied their hair up in buns, all except Momo though, whose hair was too short; she put hers in a hairnet. Hibiya took one look at her and started laughing immediately.

"Now you REALLY look like an obasan." he said, between laughs. He immediately got punched in the stomach, which made him double over with pain.

And so, the Blindfold Gang's First Big Clean Up Day, although getting off a rough start, began. There really wasn't much difference from normal days, except the fact that they were up and moving.

Everyone had a job they were given by Kido. Shintaro, Momo and Hibiya had the job of cleaning out the gang members' rooms, while Seto and Marry were in charge of the closet. Kido herself was ready to clean the kitchen with Konoha. Ene and Actor were in charge of the living room. Lastly, Kano was in charge of the bathroom.

"Whoa, whoa, you must be kidding here, Leader. Me? The bathrooms? I would like to ask why oh fucking why?" Kano could barely hold in his outburst. Kido blinked.

"Someone has to do it." she replied simply. Seto laughed.

"Don't worry, Kano, that just means you're special to Kido." he said. Kido immediately shot him a glare.

"Do you want a position change, Seto?" she asked. Seto laughed nervously.

"No thanks." he said. Everyone went to work.

"What the hell is this box even full of? Why is it so freaking heavy?" Teetering on the ladder, Ene attempted to put the box of 'NOT NEEDED ANYMORE ITEMS' onto the top of the shelves. When she couldn't reach it, she threw it up above and once she saw it had landed safely, she sighed and faced away from the tall shelf.

"Be careful, Ene!" shouted Actor. The box was slowly falling in Ene's direction. Ene swung around and saw the huge black thing dropping towards her. She closed her eyes, bracing herself. Actor rushed to attempt to save her, but Konoha was faster.

"ENE!" He dropped his broom and sprinted to Ene's side. He was about to pick Ene up and jump down from the ladder, but the box fell faster. It hit Konoha's head with a _plunk _and he fell from the ladder. Ene slowly opened her eyes and they widened at the sight in front of her. Konoha had fallen onto the ground, unconscious, with blood oozing out of his head.

By now, the whole gang had rushed to see what was going on. They gaped at the terrible, terrible sight in front of them. Marry gasped and hid behind Seto. However, nobody was more shocked or horrified than Ene. She crouched down next to him and lifted a shaking hand to touch him.

"Ko...KONOHA!"

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Konoha! Are you okay? Oh hell that was scary. I'm so sorry. I should have been more careful! I'm so sorry! I'll buy you lots of negima. Please forgive me!" Ene shouted these words the second Konoha regained his consciousness. He sat up and blinked. He looked Ene in the eye, and cocked his head to one side slightly.

"K...Konoha?" asked Ene. She had a bad feeling about this.

"Wh...Who are you?"

Ene's eyes widened. Her hands dropped to her sides and for that moment, she felt as if she was frozen, unable to move or believe what he had said. The gang was also quite shocked.

"...Aha... Ha ha ha... This is supposed to be a joke, right, Konoha?" asked Kano, a fake laugh frozen on his face.

"If it is, it's not funny. At all." said Actor.

"Who are all of you? Where am I? What happened? ...Who am I?" he asked, his voice quaking.

"Konoha... You really..."

"Stop fucking joking!" Ene shouted, cutting Kido off sharply. Her fists were clenched and her head was lowered, her bangs shadowing over her face but clearly visible tears rolling down her cheeks. Everyone turned to look at her.

"Stop fucking joking! What do you mean, you don't fucking know? I'm Ene, you bastard!" she continued to shout.

"Ene..." Actor said, trying to restrain her sister from hurting Konoha. Konoha, however, just sat, his eyes widened. However, Actor didn't stop Ene.

"Have you forgotten about all the times we've had together?" she continued. "How can you not know? What did you say about not ever forgetting about me? You bastard! You son of a bitch! _You liar!_"

"Ene!" Actor shouted, snapping Ene out of her daze-like state. Ene's knees gave way and she crumpled onto the floor. She covered her face with her hands and let out a wail.

"_I'm Takane Enomoto!_" she shouted. Everyone was surprised at the mention of Ene's real name, which she hadn't referred to herself by for a long, long time. After some more minutes of crying, Ene had finally calmed down (or had she?) and stood up.

"I'm going back to my room." she said, her voice emotionless and as hard as stone. She slammed the door behind her, leaving the others quite stunned.

"I'm sorry..." Konoha said finally. "That girl looked really sad... I'm really sorry... About me not remembering anything..." Kano gave a few laughs that sounded quite fake.

"It's fine, it's fine. Ene'll calm down soon." he said. Konoha nodded slowly.

"But I can understand why she was so sad..." said Actor, sighing.

"Kido, have you ever dealt with a person suffering from amnesia?" asked Marry. Kido shook her head.

"Sadly, no." she said.

"I think the first thing we should do is fill him in with some information about himself and us. Stuff like that." said Momo.

"Okay, then. Hi there. Your name is Haruka Kokonose, currently 17 years old and a junior at Kagerou High. We're the Blindfold Gang, and you're part of us as well. We're, uh, delinquents. You now go by the name of Konoha." said Kido. Konoha thought for a while.

"Konoha...?" he said. Kido nodded.

"Yeah. I'm Kido. This is Kano, Seto, Marry, Momo, Hibiya, Shintaro and -" Kido was cut off by Actor, who did her introduction by herself.

"'Sup, Konoha. I'm Actor, NO.6.5 of the Blindfold Gang. That girl who ran out's Ene, my twin sister. Us three are childhood friends, and we've been hanging out together for god knows how long. And don't worry. Ene will be fine." she said. Konoha sighed in relief.

"I really hope I didn't upset her." he said.

"She's fine, she's fine. Don't worry. How about we leave you to give you some rest?" Actor asked. Konoha nodded.

"Okay." he said. The Blindfold Gang walked out of Konoha's room, silently closing the door behind them...

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

**POV Switch: Actor Enomoto**

I sighed as I took a drink out of the vending machine outside of my classroom. Yesterday had been quite hectic for not just me, but the whole gang. With a sudden memory-loss Konoha, we didn't know what to do. Also, there was the problem of Ene. I knew from the start that they had a special bond, and not just the status of 'childhood friends'.

I noticed this when I had developed a small crush on Konoha - no, Haruka back then - quite a long time ago. So, even if I no longer liked him, Konoha was actually my first crush. But that didn't matter anymore. I only thought of him as a friend now, because it was quite obvious that he was madly in love with Ene.

From when they were young, they hung out together and were not able to be separated. Miraculously, they were always put in the same class and the two of them were the best of best friends. Konoha's crush on Ene was visible even then. He never left her side, knew where she was when she couldn't be found, protected her from any harm, became quite jealous of boys who approached her...

But it wasn't just Konoha who held those feelings. Ene obviously had a crush on him as well. From the way she blushed at him and always talked about him, I had already figured that out a long time ago.

In short, they are really, really cute together. And so, this is how I, Actor Enomoto, became hardcore HaruTaka shipper NO.1.

Yesterday nightfall, I had gone to call Ene to dinner. A voice that hardly sounded like the energetic Ene said "I don't need it!" with a sob.

I felt really bad for Ene. I could imagine the pain she was going through. So that's why...

"I'm gonna make Konoha regain his memories! So he and Ene can live happily ever after!" I shouted, my eyes burning with the fire of determinedness.

"...And you call ME a chuunibyou emo." I spun around immediately and saw Kuroha standing behind her. My face burned with embarrassment.

"Seriously, that pose looked chuunibyou enough." he said, sipping from his can of Sprite. I blinked. Kuroha is Konoha's brother, so maybe if they meet, Konoha would remember something!

"I need your help on something." I said, bowing 90 degrees down to my archenemy. Kuroha raised an eyebrow and gave a sly grin.

"Heh~? The great, mighty Actor Enomoto-sama of the Blindfold Gang is bowing down to me, asking me for help? How can I say no to that~?" said Kuroha, trying hard not to laugh. I felt fury boil inside of me, but for the HaruTaka I wished to see, this isn't hard at all!

"Konoha suddenly lost his memories yesterday... From saving Ene... So I was thinking if -" I didn't even get to finish my sentence before the black-haired teen crept close, WAY too close. I was cornered against the wall and couldn't escape, for his hands were on the wall on either side of me. I felt all the heat rise to her face. As his face got so close that we could kiss (wait, WHAT?!), I found myself lost in the goldenness of his eyes. I smelled his breath, which, surprisingly, smelled quite good. I felt her heart beating faster and faster.

"If I could show myself at your base in front of my dear older brother, so he would remember something? Was that what you want to say? Then I have a few questions too. Why are you doing this for him? Why are you asking me, a delinquent part of a rival gang, just for him?" asked Kuroha, his eyes narrowing dangerously. This wasn't the type of dangerous glare that he shot at the teacher on my first day here, or the glare he shot at the delinquents that injured me. It was way, WAY different. The emotions of jealousy and pure hate were shown clearly on his face, and he looked as if he was about to murder someone. This was not an exaggeration at all. I felt her face get hotter by the second.

"W-Wait, n-no, what? N-no, it's not w-what you're th-thinking..." I stammered.

"You're nervous. I'm right, aren't I? That's why your face is so red." he said. _That's because you're so close to me, you idiot!_

"Why are we talking about this? Can we please go back to Konoha's amnesia? Kuroha, can you please come to 107?" I asked. Kuroha raised an eyebrow. Then, he said a sentence that made my face go even redder, if that was even possible.

"Maybe if we go out, I can think about it." Silence.

"Just like our twins will probably go out with each other, we should do that as well." said Kuroha.

"Are you kidding me?!" I shouted.

"No." There came the quick answer, with no hesitation at all. Silence. Suddenly, the bell signalizing the start of the next class rang, startling both of them. A 'tsk' escaped from Kuroha's mouth and he walked towards their classroom.

"I'm not gonna visit 107. Just saying. It's not like my brother is in favor of me anyways." he said, sliding open the door of the classroom and walking in. I pressed my hands onto my cheeks, in an attempt to cool them down.

"What was he talking about... That idiotic chuunibyou emo..." I murmured, sliding to the ground.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

I decided to talk to Konoha and apologize for not being able to bring Kuroha to visit him. I opened the door to his room after knocking and sat beside his bed.

"Sorry, Konoha... I couldn't bring your twin brother to visit... He didn't want to. Sorry." I said.

"Twin brother...? What kind of person is he?" asked Konoha. I sighed.

"His name is Kuroha Kokonose, and he's crowned the most active delinquent in history. But he really is just a chuunibyou emo, and he's a pervert as well! He's not a good student, he texts people during class, and most of the classmates are afraid of him. Well, he's part of AZAMI so that's explained. Kuroha always wears black, but he's not a goth or anything. He -"

"You really like him, don't you?" asked Konoha. My face went beet red and I fell off my chair in nervousness.

"Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you talking about, Konoha? I don't like that chuunibyou bastard! What would you m-make you th-think that?" I said. Konoha blinked.

"Because you keep on talking about him nonstop when I asked, and you seem really happy -" My face grew redder by the millisecond and I quickly changed the topic.

"Aren't those the game disks for DEAD BULLET -1989- and headphone actor?" I asked, gesturing to the disks sitting in Konoha's lap. He held one of the up and looked at the label.

"It does say that... What are they?" he asked. I smiled proudly.

"They're the games I created when I was studying overseas! You were a big fan of it and loved playing it!" I said. Konoha nodded slowly. He studied the disks carefully, his face remaining emotionless.

"Would you play with me?" he asked finally. I was slightly surprised, and was about to say yes, until a better idea popped up in her head.

"I would love to, but I know the perfect person for you to go against. Wait here, I'll ask her to come over here." I said, skipping out of the room and into my room.

"Ene, you busy?" I asked. There came a muffled 'yes' from the top bunk. I sighed. I climbed up to the top bunk.

"No, you aren't. Come on. We're visiting Konoha." I said, dragging her to Konoha's room. She protested on the way there, but eventually gave up.

"I have brought her!" I said, tugging Ene into the room. Konoha and Ene's eyes met. They stared at each other for a while, Ene with a sad and pained glance and Konoha with an eager and curious look.

"Ene's really good at the two games! Even better than me, the creator!" I said. Konoha's eyes shone with excitement.

"Really?" he said. I nodded.

"Definitely! Ene, how about you play a game or two with Konoha?" I asked. She stayed silent for a few seconds, the nodded.

"...I won't show any mercy." she said, sitting down next to Konoha. He nodded. I smiled.

"Then I'll leave you to yourselves~! See you both later!" I said, ignoring Ene's silent pleas. So with that, I walked out of the room, giggling to myself.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

**POV Switch: Ene**

I sat next to Konoha and stared at the familiar starting page of headphone actor. I shifted slightly and got my hands ready on the game controller.

The match wasn't a tough one; I could see that the memory-loss Konoha wasn't as good. When we finished the game, I turned to look at him, expecting a look of disappointment. Instead, I was met with a look of utter happiness.

"That was so fun!" he said, smiling. My eyes widened and tears started forming in my eyes. I stood up and was about to leave when he said a sentence that made my heart ache:

"Does Ene-san hate me?"

I swung around and stared at him. The tears couldn't be kept in, so they rolled down my cheeks. Many feelings mingled in my heart. Sadness, anger, regret... I clenched my fists. I couldn't help but think of all the happy times during our childhood.

_(Takane: Age 5)_

_I had just finished a match of a shooting video game with Actor when I saw the moving trucks. I walked over to the window and glanced out of it. Actor also walked over, curious. We saw the grey trucks park in front of the house next to ours. A black private car also parked and we saw a little boy with his mother walk out. _

_"Are they moving in?" asked Actor. I shrugged._

_"Probably. I mean, there's moving trucks and all!" I said. "Let's go take a look!" We ran out of our house and into the garden. We both hid behind our fence and stared at the boy and his mother, our new neighbors. The boy's mother went inside the house, leaving the boy in his garden. He glanced around, before noticing us. He ran over to us, his expression full of excitement. _

_"Are you two going to be my new neighbors?" he asked, his eyes sparkling. I looked away, my face slightly hot. Why was he so excited?_

_"My name is Haruka Kokonose, nice to meet you! What are your names?" he asked. Actor smiled slightly._

_"I'm Actor Enomoto, and this is my twin sister -" I looked back Haruka, and our eyes met._

_"Takane Enomoto." I said simply. Haruka's face bloomed into a bigger smile._

_"Nice to meet you, Takane! I hope we get along!" he said. I looked away, my face hot. I nodded slightly._

_"Yeah."_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

_It had been a few days since I met Haruka, but it felt like a long time already. We soon came to know each other and we got along quite well. Haruka was the first one who didn't judge me because of my narcolepsy. All my classmates and friends before felt I was different from them, so my friends never lasted long and I was a loner. But not anymore. Haruka didn't mind my narcolepsy. If I fell asleep, he would let me sleep on his bed with blankets and all. He would stay by my side until I woke up. He never minded it at all._

_However, one of the reasons for this would probably because Haruka also had an illness. I wasn't quite sure what it is; even HE didn't know. It made him quite frail, and if he had an attack, it was fatal. I never saw him have an attack, and I hoped he never would have one again._

_I was over at Haruka's house, when I heard the front door burst open. I tensed up. It didn't sound like Haruka's mother, who would open the door softly. His mom wouldn't be back in an hour, anyways. I looked to Haruka, who smiled._

_"It's just Kuroha." he said. I was confused. I had never heard of this name before._

_"Who's Kuroha?" I asked. _

_"My twin brother. He's perfectly healthy and leaves the house on a daily basis." he said. My surprise must have been clear on my face._

_"I should introduce him to you! Let's go, Takane!" he said, taking my hand and running downstairs. In the doorway, I saw a boy identical to Haruka, but oh, so different. He had the same black hair, but it was longer and some of it was tied in a small ponytail at the bottom. He also had golden orbs instead of Haruka and my red ones. He had many bruises and cuts all over his arms, legs and some on his face, too. _

_"Kuroha, this is Takane! She's our neighbor and she's my friend!" he said. Kuroha simply nodded and shrugged._

_"Whatever. Not interested." he said. "Goin' back to my room." Then, he left. I frowned._

_Kuroha did NOT seem like someone I would get along well with._

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

_(Takane: Age 6)_

_"Takane, were you playing with that Kokonose boy again?" asked my mom. I looked up from my dinner._

_"You mean Haruka?" I asked. My dad closed up the newspaper he had been reading and pushed his glasses._

_"Ah, yes, Haruka-kun. The Kokonose boy." he said. My mom stopped eating and looked at me in the eye._

_"Takane, you need to stay away from him." she said with all seriousness in her voice. I blinked. _

_"Why? Haruka is a gre- not a bad person." I said, taking back my first words, feeling slightly embarrassed. To my surprise, my mom met my sentence with a look of disgust._

_"But he's disabled. His illness might spread to you, even Actor." I dropped my spoon. I couldn't believe my mom could say such a thing. I looked to my dad, but he showed no sign of disapproval at my mom's words. Actor looked like she was about to give them a piece of her mind, but I was quicker._

_"How can you say that about Haruka?!" I shouted, shooting out of my chair and bringing my palms down hard on the table. "How can having an illness make him different from other people?! He's not even disabled in the first place! Oh, how about you call me disabled? Like all my classmates have? I have narcolepsy, so that means I must be different from all of you, right? Haruka is the most gentle and kind person I have ever met, and having an illness doesn't change a bit of that!" I left my seat at the table, feeling fed up._

_"Takane!" My dad called, standing up. I stopped in place, and didn't look back._

_"I don't know what Haruka's sickness is, but I am sure it is not contagious. You're both out of your minds." I said, running to my room. Behind me, I could hear Actor's hurt words._

_"I never thought you would say something like that, Mom!" she said. I closed the door behind me, and slid down against it. I curled up into a ball and hid my face._

_Why couldn't people stop judging us like that?_

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

_(Takane: Age 11)_

_"...I hate this system." I said, my face full of anger and annoyance. I sat at my desk (one of the only two in the classroom) and laid my head in my arms. Beside me, Haruka laughed nervously._

_"It's not that bad, Takane..." he said cautiously. I turned to him._

_"How is it not that bad?! Think about it, Haruka. They're judging us like all the other people have in our lives! This school puts us into a 'special' class because we're 'special'. And what's special about us? Well, to them, it's the fact that I have narcolepsy and you have that illness of yours! They're treating us like disabled and handicapped students!" I said, slamming my fist down onto the table. Haruka thought for a while._

_"But I don't think it's that bad," he said, smiling. "If it means being with Takane!" My face turned scarlet, almost as red as our eyes. I turned away and put on my headphones._

_"W-Whatever!"_

"...How can I ever hate you?" I said finally. It's not possible to hate you, Haruka. Not in a million years.

Because...

You're the one who stole my heart.

"Is that so?" asked Konoha. He gave a sigh of relief and laughed. "Then I'm reassured! For some reason, whenever I think that Ene-san might hate me, my chest hurts a lot..." I looked away.

I should never have ignored Konoha like that. No matter what happens to him, Konoha is Konoha. Haruka is Haruka. The dense yet kind idiot that I've known for all my life. He'll still remain... as the person I love the most.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Konoha... For being so cold to you..." I said, collapsing onto my knees. Konoha quickly rushed over to me.

"It's fine, Ene-san! Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded. Despite all that had happened, I smiled.

Loosing his memories didn't change him at all.

As soon as Konoha and I stepped out of the room, everyone crowded in on us.

"Uh, how are you, Konoha?" asked Kido. I stepped in front of the group.

"I'm going to try to regain Konoha's memories." I said boldly. I looked around the group, trying to read their expressions. To my surprise, nobody looked astonished. Instead, they smiled in approval.

"If anyone could do this, it'd be Ene." said Hibiya. Everyone else nodded. I blinked, then clenched my fists in determination.

"Okay then! Konoha, come with me." I said, heading for the door. Konoha followed, his face full of confusion.

"Where are we going?" he asked. I smiled.

"Kagerou Middle School."

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"We're here." I said, stopping in front of the huge building. Kagerou Middle School. The place that had contained so many memories of Konoha and I. Konoha stared up at the huge building, his face still blank with no emotions. I sighed. I knew that things wouldn't go so easily. Throwing away my embarrassment, I grabbed his hand and led him into the school.

"We passed these hallways everyday." I said, rushing to reach our destination. Konoha stayed silent. I paused in front of a door that led to a classroom that was oh so special. Konoha glanced at me questioningly. I smiled. I slid open the door loudly and proudly.

He couldn't have forgotten. The place that had contained so many memories.

I walked into the classroom, and Konoha followed. I sat down in the seat next to the window. My seat. Konoha sat in the other one. I pulled out a pair of headphones. But not my usual black ones. It was the ones I used in the days I had class in this sun-lit classroom. As I put them on, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Konoha's eyes widen in something that looked like recognition. I felt my heart rise. Did he remember? His mouth opened, uttering a name I hadn't heard him say in such a long time, with a questioning and soft, wavering tone:

"Takane...?"

I spun around in my seat to stare at him. I waited for him to say something. My heart pounded in my chest, nervous.

"...Ene-san, why do I know this name? Have I been here before?" he asked.

My hopes were crushed by the despair that fell after he said the sentence.

He didn't remember. He had forgotten all about the place that held so many memories, the times we had... And me.

"Konoha, let's go back to the base." I said, already running out of the room.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

**POV Switch: Normal POV**

"Ah, Ene, welcome back!" said Kano, swinging in next to Ene as she and Konoha came back to Apartment 107. Ene said nothing as she shuffled in. Konoha followed behind, cautious. As she walked into the living room, everyone came to see what had happened.

"Did Konoha recover his memories?" asked Momo. Hearing these words, Ene's knees buckled and she fell onto her knees onto the floor. The tears she had held in spilled out, falling down her cheeks.

"Why... Why have you forgotten? About all our times? About everyone here? About me? ...Haruka!" she cried. The rest of the gang stood around, not knowing how to comfort the crying blue haired girl. As she cried with her head in her hands, Konoha walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around Ene, pulling her tight into his embrace. The whole room fell silent, and Ene's eyes widened.

"Don't cry," said Konoha, pulling her even closer to him. "I don't like it when Ene-san's crying. A crying face doesn't suit Ene-san... A smile does." He pulled away slightly and raised a finger to wipe away her tears.

"So, smile, Ene."

_"A crying face doesn't suit Takane!"_

_"So, smile, Takane!"_

The figures of Konoha and Haruka seemed to overlap and become one. Ene's memories of a young Haruka who had told her the same things were awakened. Ene wrapped her arms around Konoha and buried her face into his chest.

"UWAPH!"

A huge _doink _was heard when a huge box hit Konoha's head. Everyone's heads whirled and saw Marry, fallen onto the ground. Everyone managed to understand what had happened in less than 0.01 seconds. The only thought that went through everyone's heads was: _We're fucked._ Ene looked up at Konoha, her face full of nothing but horror.

"...Is this a dream...?" Everyone's face was full of confusion when Konoha uttered these words. His face was full of excitement and happiness.

"I-I-I'm hugging Takane! This is heaven, isn't it? Finally I can hug Takane!" he shouted, his embrace tightening and tightening. Ene's eyes widened and gasped.

"H...Haruka?" she asked.

"Konoha! You regained your memories?!" asked Actor, her eyes shining like two stars. Konoha cocked his head to one side.

"Regained my memories? What are you talking about, Actor?" he asked. Everyone burst into happiness and celebration.

"L...LET OF ME, YOU IDIOT!" Ene shouted, her face turning even more scarlet than her eyes. Konoha, however, didn't let go, his face still full of happiness, like a child who got exactly what he wanted. Actor, too, was extremely happy. Her eyes still glowed and she was trying not to run around the room in happiness.

"OHMYGOD ENE AND KONOHA HUGGING I JUST CAN'T LOOK AT THIS STRAIGHT SOMEONE SAVE ME I AM DYING OF EXCITEMENT -" she fangirled. Kano snickered and took out his phone to take a picture of the couple.

"Then I bet you would love this~" he said, showing Actor the picture. Actor grabbed the phone and sent it to herself.

"Thanks bro!" she said, tossing the phone back to Kano. He smiled sneakily.

"Anytime, anytime~" he said. Shintaro crouched in the corner, sulking.

"Stop with the PDA, goddammit!" he shouted. Everyone else laughed.

"Well, have a great time hugging with each other~" said Momo, skipping back to her room. Everyone else left as well. After a while of silence, Ene returned the hug bashfully. She looked away, for she was too embarrassed, but still forced herself to say these words:

"Welcome back, Konoha."

Welcome back, to your state of world.

* * *

_**Preview: 006 - Kisaragi Attention**_

_"Hey! Excuse me!" I spun around and saw an unfamiliar man approach me. I looked around to see if he was talking to someone else, not me. But he was talking to me._

_"Me?" I asked. Oh shit, what if he was someone that knew I was part of the Blindfold Gang so is going to give me a lecture? That won't be good. Damn!_

_"Yes! Uh, I know it's slightly sudden, but have you thought of becoming an idol?"_

* * *

**Be sure to stay tuned! Also, I hope you guys will all like my new stories that are coming up!**

**I'm thinking of changing my author name to neiro. That's my bilibili name and name for many other things, and I really like it. What do you guys think?**

**Be sure to read, review, and all that kind of stuff! Arigatou~! :D**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	6. 006: Kisaragi Attention

**I'm such a big jerk. I'm sorry. I'm terribly sorry. 90 degree bow to all of you guys. I haven't updated for more than two months. :( I've been working on this chapter for such a long time, yet it's not the longest. I kind of hate myself for this. But, well, nothing I can really do about it, only update faster. I promise I will try. I promise. So enjoy the chapter that took two months to write! T-T**

* * *

Hey there, I'm Momo Kisaragi! Age 16, currently a sophomore! I'm part of a gang called the Blindfold Gang, which I joined when I was a second year in middle school! Everyone's really, really nice, and we're not really like those gangs that fight all day. We're more relaxed, and honestly, we're just a group of friends who do silly things. Although none of the people around us seem to think so. I have an older brother, Shintaro Kisaragi, who's also in the gang. Come to think of it, it's because of him that I got to know my friends.

I don't know why, but when I'm on the streets, people always stop to look at me. Hey, I'm not bragging or anything like that! It's as if their gazes were pulled towards me, as if I was a magnet. I didn't really think about it that much, since I've got more important things to think about (e.g. not failing school).

Something that I encountered on the streets in my third year as a middle schooler changed my life forever: I was scouted to become an idol.

_"Hey! Excuse me!" I heard a male voice from behind me. I spun around and saw an unfamiliar man approach me. I looked around to see if he was talking to someone else, not me. But he was talking to me._

_"Me?" I asked. Oh shit, what if he was someone that knew I was part of the Blindfold Gang so is going to give me a lecture? That won't be good. Damn! The man, however, looked excited and nervous at the same time._

_"Yes! Uh, I know it's slightly sudden, but have you thought of becoming an idol?"_

_Blink._

_Blink blink blink._

_I took a few seconds to process what he had just said and register that into my brain._

_An idol?_

_One of those cute girls that perform on stage with many fans cheering?_

_Me...?_

_Wait, me?_

_ME?!_

_"...Um, is this an April Fool's Day joke?" I asked cautiously. The man laughed._

_"No, no! This most certainly isn't! It currently isn't April yet. This is a very serious offer. Now, I understand this might be very shocking to you, but I am quite serious about this. Oh, let me introduce myself, I am Seijirou Nagasaki, producer from oNE Productions." he said, handing me his business card. I looked at it carefully. Yep, Seijirou Nagasaki, producer, oNE Productions. This was no joke._

_"Um, are you sure? Why me?" I asked. His eyes shone brightly._

_"The way you smiled to yourself as you were walking. I felt as if I saw a goddess. You have a huge aura! Star aura! If I had missed this chance, I would have hated myself forever!" he said. I raised an eyebrow. Nagasaki-san was obvious a weird person._

_But... Someone saying something like this about me..._

_It makes me kinda happy...!_

_"I'll think about it. Thank you, Nagasaki-san! I'll give you a call when I've made up my mind!" I said, smiling._

_I can't wait to tell everyone!_

_: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :_

_"You're lying."_

_I slammed my palms onto the table once I heard those words from the goddamn elementary schooler. _

_"What do you mean, I'm lying?! I'm not Kano, for god's sake!" I shouted. He looked at me in disgust._

_"Don't slam your hands onto my desk, Obasan. You got proof that you're not lying, or he's not a liar?" he asked. Suddenly dumbfounded by his words, I stepped away from him._

_"...Well," he said finally. "If you're really going to become an idol..." he looked away mid-sentence, his face growing red. I waited._

_"...I'll support you." he finally got out. I couldn't help but smile. I ran over and put my arms around him to pull him into a big hug._

_"Thank you, Hibiya!" I said, happy._

_"Let go of me, Obasan!" he said, pushing away my face. But for once, I didn't care about my nickname. _

_Someone would be supporting me!_

_: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :_

_"Kisaragi-chan got scouted?!" shouted Kano excitedly and surprisedly. I nodded proudly. Everyone was crowded around me as I told them this news. _

_"C-Congratulations, Momo-chan!" said Marry, her eyes shining brightly. Shintaro, however, looked at her in shock. _

_"My sister, an idol?! Momo, the guy was probably just trolling you!" he said. I frowned at his negative attitude._

_"Hey! That's probably something that only you would do, trolling people on the streets!" I retorted._

_"Why would I -"_

_"Okay, that's it. Shintaro, I think you should have a more positive attitude towards this good news. ...Momo, you want to be an idol, right?" said Kido, turning to me. I laughed, thinking of my childhood days where I would take a microphone and sing and dance all day. _

_"Well, it WAS my dream to be an idol since I was small, although it was forgotten for a while. ...Would you guys support me if I became an idol...?" I asked, looking away, a little embarrassed. To my surprise, everyone nodded, smiling at me._

_"Of course we would!" said Seto. Marry nodded happily. Tears started forming in my eyes at everyone's support._

_"Thank you, everyone..."_

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

And so, I became an idol. It changed my life quite immensely. I had a lot of work, but they agreed to let me have some rest on the weekdays. My weekends would be full of work and training. However, I wasn't tired. It was wonderful being able to do something I loved. I soon became quite famous, and I even held live concerts. It was something I never even dreamed would come true.

"Momo-chan!" said Nagasaki-san, appearing from behind me. I gave a small jump but quickly settled back down.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" he asked. I shook my head.

"No, no, I'm totally fine!" I said, laughing. Nagasaki-san smiled.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. Hey, would you mind if I talked to you about something? It won't take up a lot of your time." When he saw my gesture of 'go on', he sat down on the couch across from me.

"Well, it turns out that you've been invited to our company's main building overseas! Your popularity would grow immensely if you went! Your fans overseas would definitely love it if they could see you! Of course, this is all up to you. You would be regarded as a much more famous celebrity if you went, and jobs would come in easy like that!" he said, excited.

The first emotion that came to me was astonishment. Me? Go overseas, and become a full-time idol?

"...Um, is this an April Fool's Day joke?" I asked. Nagasaki-san laughed.

"Oh, I remember you saying that when I scouted you! And I shall give the same answer: No, this isn't. Of course, I'll give you time to think about it. This is a decision that will change your life, after all." he said, standing up.

"Well, I'll be off now. You're free for the day from now on!" he said, walking out of the room. I sat there, thinking. I never imagined my fame would reach so far. I would love to go overseas, and see the cultures I've never known about before...

Suddenly, a thought struck my mind, and I lifted a hand and covered my mouth.

What about the Blindfold Gang?

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"You got an offer to go overseas?!" shouted the Blindfold Gang in unison as soon as the news left my mouth. I nodded.

"...What do you think, guys? Should I go...?" I asked. Everyone else looked at each other, and I don't know if I was imagining it, but they looked like they were making a silent agreement with each other.

"What are you talking about, Momo? Why shouldn't you go?" asked Seto. Marry nodded.

"Exactly! This is beneficial to you, Imouto-san!" said Ene. Actor nodded in agreement.

"If you want to, go straight ahead! It was quite fun where I lived overseas!" she said, giving me a thumbs-up. My eyes filled with tears as I thought of leaving them for going overseas.

"But... If I go, wouldn't I have to leave you all...? I don't want that..." I said. Kido set a hand on my shoulder.

"Momo. We shouldn't be standing in the way of your future. It's your decision." she said. I nodded slowly.

"Although we would definitely recommend you going. Your future is bright, Momo! If you become really really famous there, your signature would be priceless! It's lucky you gave us each a copy when you started the job!" said Kano, smiling. I smiled, tears shining in my eyes.

"Thanks, everyone, for being so supportive, I love you all. I'll be going, then, overseas." I said. But somewhere in the depths of my mind, a small voice asked:

Is this really the right thing to do?

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

I told Nagasaki-san of my decision at the agency the day after, and he was exhilarated.

"Oh, I am so happy you made up your mind, Momo!" he said, beaming exuberantly. I smiled at his excitement. I, too, was feeling a bit excited. Overseas. I had never stepped out of my country before, so I was very, VERY excited. What would it be like? Would it be similar to my country? Or would it be completely different?

"I'll tell the main building right now, and we'll get everything ready. Momo, you just have to pack the things you want to bring. We'll let you know of the date we're leaving, but I know that it'll be quite soon, so I suggest you start packing." said Nagasaki-san, leaving me and punching numbers into his phone.

Today was a free day, so I had no jobs. I decided to go back to the base and pack. I walked out of the building of oNE Productions and was startled to see a familiar figure leaning against the wall beside the automatic doors.

"Hibiya-kun?!" I asked, my eyes wide. Hibiya frowned at my shout.

"Why so surprised, Oba-san?" he asked. My mouth twitched at my nickname, but I swallowed back my anger.

"You never come to the agency_._ Why are you here?" I asked. Hibiya raised an eyebrow.

"Why, you don't welcome me here?" he asked. I shook my head.

"No, I'm just asking." I said simply. There was a silence.

"I'm going back to the base. I need to start packing." I said. For a second, I thought I saw Hibiya's eyes widen and his expression change to sadness, but it disappeared the moment I saw it appear, so I thought I imagined it.

"...I'll help." he said, looking away. I smiled.

"Thanks, Hibiya-kun!" I said, hugging him. To my surprise, he made no attempt to push me away like he always did.

"Let's go, then!" I said, letting go of him but taking his hand and pulling him along. We walked in pretty much what was silence all the way. We reached the apartment, and I pulled out my keys to open the door. We took off our shoes and entered.

"Ah, welcome back, Momo, Hibiya!" said Marry.

"We're back!" I replied. "Hibiya, could you help me get my manga collection out of the bookshelves? I'm packing those in, obviously."

"...You're packing already...?" asked Kido. I nodded.

"Nagasaki-san said that it would be best if I do, because I'll be leaving quite soon." I replied. Kido nodded.

"Oh. Is that so." There was a silence. "Well, then, you should get started, I guess." I nodded.

"Yeah, I should. Then I'll be going to my room! See you, Kido, Marry!" I said, running to my room. I pushed open the door and shut it behind me. I looked around. It was the room I had spent my time as a middle schooler and a high schooler in, with one of my best friends. I was going to miss it.

I started by taking all my clothes out of my closet and folding them neatly on my bed. The closet that should belong to both Kido and I was filled with my clothes. That was because Kido barely owned any clothes compared to my collection. Kido owned mainly hoodies, T-shirts and pants, but I was surprised to find in the closet now a frilly skirt that did not belong to me. I giggled. Kido could be quite cute sometimes ~.

I finished folding my clothes and put them all in a cardboard box. I took a thick black marker and marked the box as 'CLOTHES'. The moment I finished the last letter of the label, Hibiya opened the door, carrying a stack of my manga collection.

"At least knock when you enter." I said as he set down it down and went to get more from the spot in the hallway he had put it.

"Okay, okay." he said. When he had finished transported my manga from the bookshelf in the living room to my room, he stood, staring at me.

"Momo..." he opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, obviously rethinking about what he was going to say. I looked up from my packing and cocked my head.

"Hm?" I asked. He looked away and bit his lip. After a silence, he spoke.

"...Everyone's being a Kano right now around you right now!" he shouted, running out of my room, leaving me both shocked and confused.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Dinner's ready!" Kido called out as usual. I snapped out of my sleep. I rubbed my eyes and sat up. When did I fall asleep? I remember I was packing... I gazed around the room and saw it full of cardboard moving boxes. I stood up and nearly tripped over a box that was in my way. I looked down at it and realized it was my box of photo albums. I felt a pang of sadness as I realized I would be leaving my friends, leaving this place full of memories. I quickly shook it away. Food. Food was important.

I walked into the dining room and saw that everyone was there already, smiling at me.

"Hey, Momo~! Kido made today's meal extra gorgeous! Isn't that sweet and cute of her-" Kano didn't finish his sentence; he was kept busy cringing in pain. Momo laughed.

"Thank you, Kido!" I said, a warm feeling filling my heart.

"It's nothing. Sit down, Momo, and let's eat." she said. I nodded and sat down. I looked at the scene before me: Everyone tucking into their food, Konoha eating too much and too fast and Ene scolding him, Hibiya looking at them, sighing. Shintaro eating, ignoring Kano beside him, who was nudging his shoulder and smiling slyly. Seto was talking happily with Marry, both of them smiling. Kido was looking at everyone, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

It suddenly occurred to me that in a matter of a week at the most, this scene would not exist before her eyes everyday for years.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

After dinner, I went back into her room and I climbed onto my bed with the box photo albums. Unlike my brother who preferred to keep photos on his phone, I liked to have them printed and put in my photo album. I lifted the photo album on top out of the box and opened it. I realized this was the album full of pictures of the Gang's times together.

Ah, what fun times were recorded.

_"This combination really IS strong! How about we form a gang together?" said Kano, grinning from ear to ear. Hibiya raised his eyebrows._

_"I didn't come for a school life full of fights." he said. Kano laughed._

_"Well, gangs don't have to fight every day, you know! We could just be a group of friends who hang out together! But if we get picked on, we would be able to fight back!" he said proudly. Shintaro took a sip of his coke._

_"I don't have anything against that." he said. Kano smiled._

_"Then it's decided! We'll be... Hmm, the Blindfold Gang! And our leader will be Tsubomi!" he said. Kido, hearing this, spun to face him, her face red._

_"M-Me?! The leader?! Did that hit go to your brain, Shuuya?!" she shouted. Kano laughed._

_"Nope! I'm serious! Tsubomi would be a great leader, I'm sure of it!" he said._

_"Then call me Kido from now on." said Kido. "You know I didn't like my name even from when I was young."_

_"Eh~? But Tsubomi is such a cute name ~!" he pouted. Kido shot him a glare._

_"Listen, _Kano, _this is my first order as leader of the Blindfold Gang." she said. "Kido is a much cooler name anyways. It fits being leader more." Kano blinked a few times, then burst into laughter._

_"I knew you'd love this kind of stuff! Alright then, _Kido_! Then, everyone else, call me Kano as well! I guess the same would go for you, right, _Seto_?" he asked, turning to his brother. Seto's eyes widened, then his mouth set into a smile._

_"That sounds great!" he said._

_"Then it's decided! We are the Blindfold Gang from now on! And to remember this day, let's take a picture together!" he said. I suddenly had a great idea._

_"Then use this!" I said, tossing my selfie stick to Kano. He caught it and glanced at it shortly before attaching his phone onto it._

_"Great idea, Kisaragi-chan!" he said, before raising his arm high up into the air. "Gather around, everyone!" Everyone crowded in and glanced at the camera, making peace signs and weird faces. _

Haha, look at Onii-chan's face, squished by Kano's elbow. Hibiya's expression just says 'what the hell am I doing here'. I was smiling so brightly, with my elbow around the shy Marry. Ene and Konoha never stop the PDA, do they? Haha...

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

_"I'm gonna be the first to sing!" said Kano, grabbing the mic out of the stand and going over to pick a song._

_"Kano! We're here to celebrate Momo becoming an idol, you idiot! Shouldn't she be singing first?" said Kido, grabbing Kano by the collar and yanking him back. Marry turned to Seto._

_"Can I sing too?" she asked. Seto nodded._

_"Of course!" he said. Marry looked down and shuffled her feet nervously._

_"But I'm not confident with my voice..." she said. Seto smiled and squatted down and faced her._

_"It's okay, Marry! I'm sure you'll sing beautifully! If you're still not confident enough, I'll sing with you." he said, smiling. Marry looked at him, her eyes filling with tears of happiness._

_"Thank you, Seto! I'm so happy!" she said, smiling. _

_"I am, for sure, not singing!" said Shintaro, crossing his arms over his chest and sitting down on the couch. Ene hit his arm._

_"Oh, come on, Shintaro! Don't be such a letdown! I'm sure Ayano-chan would want to hear you sing! Right, Ayano-chan?" said Ene, turning to Ayano._

_"Well, it would be quite nice..." she said quietly. Ene grinned._

_"See?" she said, turning back to Shintaro._

_"Shintaro, you should sing." said Konoha. Hibiya smiled smugly._

_"Yeah, go up there and sing us a song, Oji-san." he said. Shintaro sat up in straight._

_"Did you want to say something, kid?" he asked._

Kano ended up singing first, anyways... Marry's voice was so cute! Her duet with Seto was very nice! Onii-chan actually wasn't a bad singer... Considering that he's written so many songs already, I think he should have a grasp of tones and stuff.

_. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

_"Ah~! Tests are finally over! Hey, what'd you guys get?" asked Ene, throwing her bag onto the floor._

_"Let's have a test-comparing time!" said Kano. We all sat down on the couches and pulled out our tests._

_English - Shintaro: 100, Konoha: 98, Hibiya: 90, Marry: 80, Kano: 77, Seto: 74, Kido: 72, Ene: 65, Momo: 4._

_Math - Shintaro: 100, Konoha: 99, Hibiya: 95, Ene: 90, Kido: 71, Seto: 70, Marry: 64, Kano: 60, Momo: 3. _

_Science - Shintaro: 100, Konoha: 100, Hibiya: 90, Ene: 90, Kano: 75, Seto: 65, Kido: 60, Marry: 48, Momo: 1._

_History - Shintaro: 100, Hibiya: 96, Konoha: 95, Seto: 80, Marry: 76, Kido: 59, Kano: 55, Ene: 54, Momo: 2. _

_There was a silence._

_"I've known from when you were young that your grades were horrible, but this time... Momo..." Shintaro had his head in his hands. I glared at him._

_"Hey! I'm not born with those smarts like you, Onii-chan!" I shouted, slamming my palms onto the table. Kido and Kano sighed._

_"Momo, you need some serious reviewing..." said Kido._

_"You've got an average score of 2.5, Oba-san. That...Takes some skills to master, actually. Great job." said Hibiya. I punched his head._

_"Shut up!" I shouted. Ene laughed awkwardly._

_"W-Well... We'll help you review until the retest! Alright?" she said. "Ask your brother, the genius, to help you, and you'll be fine!" I sighed._

_"I sure hope so."_

Although I still failed the retest, my scores did go up a lot! Although I forgot everything I learnt afterwards... Haha...

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

The memories seemed to overwhelm me. I felt myself lost in the wonderful times I've had. School life really had been the best. My friends were the best, without a doubt.

I felt the tears slide down my cheeks. I wiped them away with my sleeve, but they kept falling.

I loved them deeply, and if one of them left, I would be so, so sad. However, I probably wouldn't show it.

My eyes widened and I sat up straight. The things seemed to piece together, everything that I had seen and heard these days. Everyone's sad glances and tones, and Hibiya's words.

_'Everyone's being a Kano right now around you right now!'_

Kano was known to be the liar and deceiver. Hibiya meant that everyone was concealing their true thoughts and emotions. They... Didn't want me to go, did they? I smiled, despite the tears that kept falling. I wiped them away once more. I'll go and get some water to clear my head.

I slowly slipped out of my room and walked down the hall, careful not to wake anyone. Suddenly, I saw that there was still light in the living room. I peeked around the corner, curious. To my surprise, I saw the other eight members of the Blindfold Gang sitting on the couches, their expressions serious.

"Momo's leaving soon... Isn't she?" asked Hibiya. My eyes widened at the mention of my actual name by Hibiya. He never called my by my name, unless it was something ultra serious. Kido nodded.

"...Everyone! We've gotta look happy! We can't bring her down or let her worry like that. She's going overseas as an idol! She's gonna be even more famous! This is good for her! This is... good for her..." Ene trailed off, her eyes filling with tears. She quickly wiped them away and looked away.

"Ene..." said Konoha softly. I couldn't look at the scene in front of me anymore. My friends, attempting to mask their true emotions of sadness, just to make me not worry. I turned around to walk back to my room, but my stupidity decided to kick in right this moment. I bumped me knee against the wall as I turned, and of course, the others heard me. They rushed over and saw me, clutching my knee in pain. We stared at each other in awkward silence.

"...You heard?" asked Konoha. I looked away and nodded. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hibiya clench his fists. He punched the wall, looking both angry and sad. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Exactly! Just like you heard! Nobody wants you to leave, Momo! Nobody!" he shouted.

"Hibiya, don't -"

"Don't what?" he snarled, giving a Ene a glare. "Tell her of what we really think, and keep on lying to her, telling yourself it's all for Momo's good? Well, I don't care! I don't fucking care anymore! I'm tired of this!" He turned his gaze back to me, and his look softened, into a sad one. He bit his lip.

"Don't leave us, Momo. Don't just leave the Blindfold Gang like that. We've been telling ourselves that we shouldn't stand in the way of your future, but I don't give a shit about that now! ..._Don't leave me, Momo!_" said Hibiya, tears falling down his cheeks. At this, Marry also burst into tears. She ran and threw her arms around me.

"Don't leave, Momo! Don't go anywhere! Please..." she said. I saw that the majority of the others also had tears in their eyes.

They don't want me to leave. I smiled, a warm feeling spreading in my chest. They were great friends. True friends. I realized that I never wanted to leave them at all. I would have probably changed my mind at some point anyways if none of this had happened. I put my arms around Marry.

"I won't go anywhere." I said simply, smiling. Marry looked up at me, surprised.

"Wait, Momo, what -" said Shintaro. I smiled.

"I'm not gonna leave you guys. Ever."

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

I informed Nagasaki-san of my decision the next day. He was disappointed, but nodded and approved of my decision.

"Alright, I understand. Forcing you to go would be the last thing we'd want to do. I'll inform the boss." he said.

"I'm really sorry." I said apologetically. He dismissed my worries with a wave of his hand.

"Everything's alright, Momo-chan. You're a world-famous idol alright, but you're still a normal high schooler. I would have hated it if I was taken away from my friends." he said. "Now, why don't you head back? It's best to spend your day with your friends." My eyes widened.

"But... What about work..?" I asked.

"Screw work. Cancelled it for you. Go have fun, Momo-chan!" he said. I smiled. Nagasaki-san really was a kind person.

"Thank you, Nagasaki-san! Then I'll be off!" I said. I walked out of the agency and a million words and hugs were thrown upon me.

"Momo-chan, you're not leaving!" said Marry happily. I patted her head.

"I won't leave! I definitely won't!" I said. I suddenly remembered something, and I pulled Hibiya over to the side.

"Hibiya-kun, thanks for making me stay. I bet I wouldn't be happy overseas." I said. Hibiya looked away, looking embarrassed.

"You told me to stay when I was about to leave. I just thought I'd do the same to you." he said. My eyes widened. He was referring to that time...

"Oi~! Momo, Hibiya! Come on! We're going back to the base!" shouted Kano. Hibiya smiled.

"Let's go." he said, catching up with the rest of the group. I smiled.

Back to the place I belong.

* * *

**_Chapter 07: Kuusou Forest_**

_"How was your first day at school, Marry?" asked Mom, as I walked into the living room._

_"Nobody talked to me." I said, my head drooping and my tone sad. "They thought my red eyes were scary." Mom stopped what she was doing and walked over to me._

_"How so?" she said, patting my head. "I think our red eyes are really pretty." I looked down and tears formed in my eyes._

_"They said my eyes looked like snake's eyes, and that I would be able to turn people into stone. But I can't do that." I said. Mom's eyes widened, and she sighed._

_"Try again tomorrow, Marry. It's all fine. Dinner will be ready soon, so just wait a bit, okay?" she asked. I nodded._

_"Okay."_

* * *

**I certainly hope that this chapter was worth the wait. If you've got any suggestions or criticism please let me know. I'll be reading reviews, PMs, and my social networking+chatting accounts are always active (well, all except for Facebook which is blocked here). **

**SO, stay tuned for the next chapter! Be sure to leave me reviews ~! XD**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	7. 007: Kuusou Forest

**Last update was on May 18th and I return on July 5th. I'm horrible ;w; Aaaand there are some things that you guys need to know about this story so hereeee:**

**1) Marry's grandparents Azami and Tsukihiko have nothing to do with the Blindfold Gang's rival gang AZAMI.**

**2) Marry is not a Medusa here, and not a monster, since this is an AU where no supernatural things exist. Despite what everyone says in this chapter, Marry's not a monster.**

**I think that's it. This is quite a short chapter, which I'm not quite proud of but there's one scene that I like a lot so enjoy! :)**

* * *

H-Hello! I'm Marry Kozakura... NO.4 of the Blindfold Gang... The Blindfold Gang is a, well, gang of delinquents. Something special about us is that we all have red eyes (we all have had histories where we've been teased and bullied because of our red eyes, which is something that also bonds us together to make us to strongest team ever), and that's how we're identified. Also, we all wear our gang hoodies, where everyone has one in white and their own 'theme' color.

Oh, and there's one more thing that most of us don't want to talk about or remember: We've all been close to death at one point of our lives. I don't know how my friends were close to death, and none of my friends know how I am. It's not something we like sharing about, so it's best kept secret.

I'm the shy and timid one of the group. I always look up to my friends, thinking, 'They're so brave...' and such. I guess it's just part of my personality. But being with the Blindfold Gang was definitely made me stronger, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

The members of the Blindfold Gang were not just my friends, but my saviors. They saved me from the extreme sadness and depression I went through after a certain something happened. I'll tell you about it, about all of it.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

I had lived my life with my mother, Shion Kozakura, during my childhood years. She was kind, caring, and most important of all, she loved me dearly. I loved her dearly as well, more than anyone in the world. My father had died when I was really young, so I had never really known him. My mother loved him dearly too, and she was extremely sad when he died. But she vowed to stay strong for my sake. My mother told me lots of stories, and I loved every one of them.

My mother would tell me all about her childhood times, when she lived with her parents, my grandparents. Their names were Azami and Tsukihiko, and we visited them every weekend. My grandparents loved each other dearly, and their relationship never weakened.

My grandfather had been a soldier during the big war, and when the war finally ended and he was heading home, he got lost in the woods. There, he saw a black-haired woman sitting amidst the trees. That was my grandmother. He fell instantly in love with her and offered to build her a house after hearing that she didn't have one. My grandmother told him that she was a monster and that she had nothing, but my grandfather didn't care. He loved my grandmother, and to him, that was all that mattered. They continued to live in the house.

When it finally came the time I needed to start school, I was definitely not ready. Not ready to leave my mother for most of my daytime and not ready to talk to people and make friends. I had no friends in my childhood times, since I barely even went outside.

Despite my protests, my mother wanted me to go to school, get an education there instead of at home, and make some friends. She said school would be extremely fun.

Oh, how wrong she was. I was teased, bullied, and hit. They thought my red eyes and long, white hair was weird and scary.

"Red eyes! Like a monster!" they would say. "And white hair, like snakes! Ah, I'm so scared!" They danced around me in a circle, laughing, yelling, pulling my hair.

I hated school.

I still remember what had happened when I came home after my first day at school wasn't a happy experience.

_"How was your first day at school, Marry?" asked Mom, as I walked into the living room._

_"Nobody talked to me." I said, my head drooping and my tone sad. "They thought my red eyes were scary." Mom stopped what she was doing and walked over to me._

_"How so?" she said, patting my head. "I think our red eyes are really pretty." I looked down and tears formed in my eyes._

_"They said my eyes looked like snake's eyes, and that I would be able to turn people into stone. But I can't do that." I said. Mom's eyes widened, and she sighed._

_"Try again tomorrow, Marry. It's all fine. Dinner will be ready soon, so just wait a bit, okay?" she asked. I nodded._

_"Okay."_

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I couldn't do it. No matter what I said, the kids would not stop bullying me and treating me like a monster. My mother soon discharged me from the school and I was homeschooled.

My homeschooling continued until the end of fourth grade, when there was a sudden phone call from my grandmother, who told us that my grandfather had fallen extremely sick. We didn't know what happened to him, and the doctors didn't either. They simply shook their heads when we asked them what happened to him and told us he had a month left.

I couldn't believe it. Nobody could believe it. My grandfather had always been a healthy old man, and I loved him dearly. Now looking at him so weak that he couldn't even sit up in bed, his face pale, I couldn't make the tears stop. Seeing him like this pained me. My mother and I moved into the house my grandparents lived in to take care of them.

My mother really, really loved my grandfather. It was devastating for her to see her father in a state like this. Worse, she couldn't do anything to help him. Nobody could.

But the one who was pained the most was my grandmother. My grandfather was the first person who didn't treat her like a monster, and she loved him deeply. I heard her cry constantly during the night, when she thought nobody could hear her. I knew that she was going through a horrible time. I felt very, very bad for my grandmother.

One night when I was up to get a cup of water, I saw my grandparents in their room. My grandmother was crying, even harder than before.

"Don't cry, Azami... I don't like it when you cry." said my grandfather. My grandmother looked up at him with her teary eyes.

"Tsukihiko..." she choked out. My grandfather smiled sadly.

"Thank you, Azami. I love you." he said.

Then he was gone.

My grandmother soon followed after a few weeks due to sadness, leaving my mother and I alone. My mother cried and cried, but she still had to take care of me, so she couldn't fall apart yet. She simply couldn't. We continued on with our lives, but I knew that my mother was still extremely sad. I sometimes felt useless, not able to do anything to cheer her up. But I told myself that it wasn't my fault, this wasn't my fault.

The peace went on for two years, before the most traumatic event of my life happened...

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

That day started out as just like a normal day. My mother and I stayed in our home, not stepping one foot outside. My mother would read books to me, and after that I would draw pictures by myself.

Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door when we were about to sit down for lunch. Both my mother and I tensed at the unfamiliar sound, a sound that we were so not used to and haven't heard in two years.

"Stay here, Marry, and don't move." My mother ordered, her eyes narrowed and her expression harsh. She walked to the door. I heard the door click open. I stood up from my seat and hid behind a wall. I poked my head out from the wall to observe what was happening. Two men were in the doorway. They didn't look friendly.

"Hello, gentlemen, what can I do for you?" asked my mother, her expression still fierce and looking as if she was ready to fight. One of the men nudged the other one.

"She's the one, there's no mistake!" he said. "Look at her hair. It's long, and just like snakes!"

"I know! She also has those red eyes! She has to be!" said the other one. I saw my mother's hands ball into fists.

"I'm sorry, but I would have to ask you both to leave." she said. "You're not welcome here."

"And you're not welcome on this world, _monster_." said the first man, taking out a gun from behind him.

He fired.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

Thump.

Thump. Thump.

A scream.

A yell.

A tear. More tears.

I run.

I stumble.

I keep running.

How dare you. HOW DARE YOU.

Mom. Mom. Mom.

"_MAMA!_" I yell, the tears all over my face now. I cushioned my mother's head on my lap, caressing her hair. She lifted a hand to wipe away my tears, but they wouldn't stop.

"Ma...Marry..." she choked out.

"Mama!" I said, my hands tightening around her. I could sense her smile.

"What, the monster has a daughter?" The second man said. I glared at them, my scarlet eyes narrowing into hate, pure, dark hate.

"We're not monsters! The only monsters here are you two! I won't forgive you, I won't forgive you! I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!" I yelled, ignoring the tears and my voice breaking. I rose to my feet. I was going to make them pay. I walked one step at a time, closer, closer, closer to the two murderers. They got their guns ready and fired at me. I ducked under the bullets that I seemed to see the routes of, and I got up right up in their faces. I gave the first man a punch with all my might. I heard a snapping noise.

I turned to the second man, who aimed his gun right at me and was ready to fire at me. But I was quicker. I knocked the gun out of his hand and kicked him in the stomach. I sent him flying out the door.

I felt a hand grab my foot. I turned around and saw the first man, scrambling for his gun. I dove for it and despite never seeing a gun in my entire life, I seemed to know how it worked. I fired once to his wrist, sending him into fits of screaming. I put my mouth right next to his ear and whispered:

"Murderer."

Then I fired. As I saw with my own eyes that the first man lay there, dead, I walked outside to where the second man laid, and gave a few shots. He, soon, was dead too.

I walked back into the house and kneeled down next to my mom. Her eyes were closed, her face pale. I looked up and around the area. Blood stained the floors, two guns lay on the ground, along with three corpses, one of my dear mother who I watched get killed, two of the men that I killed with my own hands.

I put a hand to my face and when removing it, I saw it was stained with the blood of the men that I had killed.

I screamed.

It was then I had realized, widening my eyes, that the two men weren't the only murderers in this room.

I truly am an ugly, filthy monster.

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After I numbly washed off the blood staining my face and dress, I went out to clean up the area. I buried my mother in front of our house, along with my grandmother and grandfather. As for the two men, I buried them somewhere in the woods. They did not deserve a place with my family.

After I finished, I collapsed onto my bed. I didn't move. I didn't eat. I barely had enough strength to keep breathing. I passed my days like this, only getting up for necessities.

I thought of ending my life and joining my family. Life would be meaningless without the people I loved. When I finally made up my mind, I heard a knock come from the door.

My eyes widened. Last time I had heard that noise, a tragedy followed. What would come to me this time? I crept to the door, holding the gun that the men had left behind my back. I realized that the door wasn't locked, and I scolded myself under my breath for not being careful. I approached the wall, the same wall that I had hid behind days ago. I saw a boy, perhaps a year or two older than me, walk into my home cautiously.

"Um... Anyone...?" he said. He sounded young, but friendly. Something about him told me that he wouldn't be like the other children I had encountered before. I slowly peeked my head out from the wall, and I saw his face light up.

"Um, hello! Uh, I kinda got lost in the woods, and I saw your house, so I just came in because the door wasn't locked..." he said, laughing sheepishly.

"...Hello..." I said, not sure what I should say to him.

"I'm Kousuke Seto, call me Seto! What's your name?" he asked.

"Marry Kozakura..." I said. I could tell that he was a nice person. I realized that he was staring at me. My eyes widened. What if he also thought I was a monster?

"D-Don't look at me!" I screamed, backing away. "If you look at me, you'll turn into stone!" He looked at me for a few seconds, before breaking into a smile.

"Don't worry! I've lived in fear because of our scarlet eyes as well, but wouldn't the world be much better without fear?" he said, patting my head. I suddenly noticed that he also had scarlet eyes. Tears slid down my cheeks, and soon I was crying. Finally. Finally, someone who didn't treat me like a monster. Seto hugged me, bringing me close to his chest. I clutched his jacket and cried.

Suddenly, I felt him put something in my ear. I looked at it. Earbuds. Music flowed into my ears. It was beautiful. I looked at him.

"Music would cheer people up." he said simply, smiling. I smiled. I took the earbuds out of my ears when the song ended.

"I was made fun of when I was younger because of these red eyes, so I'm really self-conscious about them..." he said. I nodded.

"Me too! I stopped going to school with other kids because I was getting bullied." I said. "And I'm really not a monster. I won't turn anyone into stone." Seto smiled and nodded.

"I know. I understand." he said. There was a silence.

"My parents are dead. So are my grandparents." I said. Somehow, I feel safe telling this to Seto. He patted my head, comforting me.

"Do you want to go into the city, Marry? I think you need a break from everything. You should come to the same middle school as me! I'm starting my second year there." he said, after a silence.

"You're the same age as me!" I said. "I thought you were a year or two older than me!" He laughed.

"I actually do get that a lot!" he said. "Well? What about it?" I smiled. That did seem like a good idea.

"Okay!" I said. Taking Seto's hand, I stepped out of my home, into a world that I had no idea I would step into...

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

On that day, Seto showed me around the city he was familiar with and all the places he liked to go to. We went to the bank and I got all the money that my family had. I bought a phone and we exchanged numbers to keep in touch. I was enrolled in his middle school, Kagerou Middle School, which would start in a week.

We went around to restaurants, malls, and parks. It was the most fun I had ever had in my life. I found that we both loved nature and the outdoors, but Seto was more on the extreme side. He loved animals, and he would literally chase after them when he saw them. It was really funny.

After a week, I started school at the same school as Seto, and I met his siblings. Kido was very cool, but she's really reliable and she cares about everyone dearly. Kano was a jokester and usually really really annoying, but he really is a good person. Ayano was kind and caring, and was a big sister figure to everyone!

Then, I met the others of the Blindfold Gang. Momo was extremely nice and outgoing, and we became great friends. Takane, who soon became Ene, was loud and hyper. Shintaro was extremely strange, having a huge addiction to coke, but he's really smart and a nice guy. Hibiya was probably the most normal out of everyone, which isn't a bad thing! Haruka, who became Konoha, was kind and he loves food.

Because of them, my everyday life was fun. Because of them, I was able to be pulled out of depression.

Thank you, everyone, I'm so glad I met you all!

I love you, everyone!

* * *

**_Chapter 08: Children Record_**

_"This combination really IS strong! How about we form a gang together?" said Kano, grinning from ear to ear. Hibiya raised his eyebrows._

_"I didn't come for a school life full of fights." he said. Kano laughed._

_"Well, gangs don't have to fight every day, you know! We could just be a group of friends who hang out together! But if we get picked on, we would be able to fight back!" he said proudly. Shintaro took a sip of his coke._

_"I don't have anything against that." he said. Kano smiled._

_"Then it's decided! We'll be... Hmm, the Blindfold Gang! And our leader will be Tsubomi!" he said. Kido, hearing this, spun to face him, her face red._

_"M-Me?! The leader?! Did that hit go to your brain, Shuuya?!" she shouted. Kano laughed._

_"Nope! I'm serious! Tsubomi would be a great leader, I'm sure of it!" he said._

_"Then call me Kido from now on." said Kido. "You know I didn't like my name even from when I was young."_

_"Eh~? But Tsubomi is such a cute name ~!" he pouted. Kido shot him a glare._

_"Listen, _Kano, _this is my first order as leader of the Blindfold Gang." she said. "Kido is a much cooler name anyways. It fits being leader more." Kano blinked a few times, then burst into laughter._

_"I knew you'd love this kind of stuff! Alright then, _Kido_! Then, everyone else, call me Kano as well! I guess the same would go for you, right, _Seto_?" he asked, turning to his brother. Seto's eyes widened, then his mouth set into a smile._

_"That sounds great!" he said._

_"Then it's decided! We are the Blindfold Gang from now on! And to remember this day, let's take a picture together!" he said._

_"Then use this!" said Momo, tossing my selfie stick to Kano. He caught it and glanced at it shortly before attaching his phone onto it._

_"Great idea, Kisaragi-chan!" he said, before raising his arm high up into the air. "Gather around, everyone!" Everyone crowded in and glanced at the camera, making peace signs and weird faces. _

* * *

**The ending was kind of cheesy, but I feel that Marry would feel this way so yep :) I promise the next chapter will be longer!**

**Which reminds me OHMYGAWD THE WELL-ANTICIPATED(?) CHILDREN RECORD CHAPTERRR! I'm sure I'll have so much fun writing this chapter ;)**

**Aaaand I'll be starting another new multi-chapter story sometime soon, and it'll be ShinAya so all you ShinAya shippers out there, watch out! I've already told my friend all about it and she totally loves it, so I'm sure you guys will love it too! (Oh, and there's HaruTaka in it too because I just can't help myself)**

**Please R&amp;R, I'll be waiting ~**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	8. 008: Children Record

**I'm back. Thanks to everyone who's still sticking to this story, I know I'm updating really slowly, but I put priority on Evening Yesterday because it has a deadline and stuff. And a lot of things happened these days... A friend of mine died from a brain tumor a few days ago so I'm still mourning and stuff... Also, I'm posting a chapter in class, haha...**

**Well, enough of the depressing things. Go on with the story! I hope you enjoy it! **

* * *

For a few years now, the Blindfold Gang has been one of the two dominating delinquent groups on Kagerou Street. The members got along with each other very well, and every day was filled with fun. Truthfully, they were more like a group of friends were self-defense than a gang. They didn't pick fights, only accepted challenges and won them. However, people were scared of them. But that didn't matter to them. What mattered was only the fact that everyone loved each other. They were great friends. It had been only four years since everyone met for the first time, but it felt like they've known each other since forever.

The Blindfold Gang was formed when everyone was back in middle school. The members didn't all meet in the same way; some of them had known each other before they all met. Some of the members became friends at once, and some became rivals from the moment they met.

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**Flashback: Four years ago**

Hibiya looked around nervously at his surroundings. To think that he had done something so risky... Traveling alone to a city that was unfamiliar without his parents' permission at the age of ten, then working continuously at multiple part-time jobs for two years to earn enough savings to start school was not what an average kid from the countryside would do. But Hibiya was no average kid.

And today, he was finally starting school at Kagerou Middle School. He hoped that breaking off his studies for two years wouldn't affect much. Hibiya had been the top of his class back in the village, and he had bought textbooks over the years for studying, so he should be alright.

Suddenly, a running figure crashed into him with full force. They both fell on the floor a few feet away from each other. Hibiya rubbed his head, trying to ease the pain.

"Aaaahhh, I am so sorry! I need to leave now, I'm going to be late! I'll buy you lunch or something!" And with that, the girl dashed off. Hibiya stared after her, the only thought in his head being "what the hell just happened". Although the girl only stopped momentarily, Hibiya remembered her looks. The orange hair with a side ponytail, the pink jacket, and most importantly...

Those red eyes.

He had never met anyone with the same pair of red eyes that he said, the ones that the villagers thought were monstrous and teased him about. He got up, brushing off dust from his pants and sighed. That oba-san mentioned buying him lunch, didn't she? She must have seen his student ID lying on the ground after the impact, and knew he was going to the same school as her. Hibiya sighed. Seems like a hectic life he had planned for himself...

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"Tsu-bo-mi-? Oi, Tsu-bo-mi-?" said Shuuya, waving a hand in front of Tsubomi's face. Tsubomi swatted it away and glared at him.

"What?" she asked, irritated. Tsubomi had been listening to a great song on her iPod and this idiot was bothering her. By a lot. She had already tried turning up the volume to block out his annoying voice, but that just hurt her ears, so it didn't work. Tsubomi finally gave up trying. He gave her an annoying smile. Tsubomi could sense something was up, and it wasn't something good.

"Could it be... You're nervous?" he asked, still smiling. She immediately ripped out the white earphones from her ears and turned to him, knowing her face was definitely in a shade of red from embarrassment.

"Wha - Definitely not!" Tsubomi sputtered.

"Aw, is our cute little Tsubomi nervous?" he said. She smacked him in the arm.

"Don't call me cute!" Tsubomi said. "And I wasn't nervous!"

"You had your eyes closed, talking deep breaths, shaking and sweating. You're lying, Tsubomi~" Shuuya answered. Despite her embarrassment, Tsubomi rolled my eyes at him.

"You've got a lot of room to call other people liars." she said. Shuuya was known to be a liar, so it was ironic hearing him calling someone that.

"Okay, okay, guys, stop arguing. We've gotta go to class now. We don't want to be late for our first day of class of our 2nd year in junior high!" said Kousuke, trying to calm things down a bit.

Tsubomi sighed. Okay, she was kinda nervous. But that's not important, or the point.

The three adopted siblings walked into the school and looked around. Nothing much had changed from what they remembered it as. They approached the bulletin board and scanned their red eyes across the rows and rows of names, looking for their classes.

"Hey, Tsubomi, you're in the same class as me! Looks like this year's going to be fun!" said Shuuya. Tsubomi gave him a glare, but said no more.

"I'm in a different class." said Seto. "But I'll come and sit with you guys in lunch time so it'll be alright!" The other two nodded, and they went their separate classes.

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Marry looked around the hallways, staring at the unfamiliar surroundings. It's been a long time since she'd been outside of her own home, so she was a little bit scared. Where was Seto?

She had already checked for her name on the bulletin board, and she was extremely happy to find her name next to Seto's. They were in the same class! But she had a problem: She couldn't find her class. She looked around, looking for a person that seemed nice. She saw a girl who looked her age, so she approached her shyly.

"U-Um, excuse me... D-Do you know where class 2-C is...?" Marry asked timidly. The girl looked at her and pointed to the opposite direction that Marry was walking to.

"That way, on the left! Are you new here?" she asked. Marry nodded.

"Well, welcome to Kagerou Middle School! I'm Momo Kisaragi!" she said, smiling. Marry smiled. Kisaragi-san seemed kind, just like Seto.

"I'm Marry Kozakura..." she said, smiling. Suddenly, the bell sounded. Both of them stiffened. Kisaragi-san gave a screech.

"I'm going to be late! See you, Kozakura-san! I'm in Class 2-D, right next to you okie bye!" she yelled, running off.

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Takane's seat in her new classroom was one of the most popular ones among the students. It was the window seat in the second-to-last row of tables and chairs, and it was amazing. She wouldn't be noticed by the teacher if she was off-task with the people in front of her blocking the teacher's view of her, and so she could doodle all she wanted. Also, when she was getting bored of class, she could always glance out the window right next to her and look outside. Takane felt she was extremely lucky getting this seat, it being her first seat in a normal classroom ever since fourth grade.

Takane had narcolepsy, and therefore could fall asleep anytime. This gained her a place in the special class for 'handicapped students', an extremely infuriating name. They were just like normal people, however everyone judged them because of their illnesses. However, her narcolepsy had gotten so much better, to the point that it almost never made her sink into a deep sleep. That was why she was now placed in a normal third year classroom, with a bunch of other normal kids.

She sighed, and lay her face on the desk. School was tiring. She could no longer slack off, now that she was in a normal classroom.

"Good morning, Takane!" A voice sounded from beside her. She looked up and saw her childhood friend, Haruka Kokonose, setting his bag down in the seat next to her.

Haruka was one of her only friends (well, he was the only one who she considered a great friend; Actor was her twin sister so therefore wouldn't count and Kuroha was a sadistic bastard that she would rather die than claim be her friend) who she had known ever since she was young. He was also her neighbor, and her only classmate through the years she had been in the special class.

Haruka also had an illness, much more serious than hers; If he had an attack, he could die from it. He had many attacks when he was young, therefore being hospitalized frequently, but after an operation, it was completely cured and he was also moved to a normal class.

Takane only nodded as a response. She was tired. She definitely shouldn't have stayed up to play video games. Suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind and she turned around. It was a girl with brown hair with two red clips in her hair, and she was wearing a red scarf even though they were indoors.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Ayano Tateyama, and I'll be sitting behind you! I thought I'd say hello, haha... Hope we get along!" she said, smiling. Takane couldn't help but smile a bit. The girl seemed pretty nice, and she also hoped that they would get along.

"I'm Takane Enomoto. Nice to meet you." she said. Ayano's smile seemed to grow even bigger. By this, Haruka had also turned around in his seat and was listening to their conversation.

"Hello! I'm Haruka Kokonose, nice to meet you!" he said. Ayano nodded.

"Nice to meet you!" she said. Takane could almost see a smiley face emoticon beside Ayano's words. Takane noticed a boy take a seat in the chair beside Ayano and behind Haruka. Her eyes narrowed. For some reason, she didn't take a liking to this boy. Just his presence made her irritated. Ayano also noticed him, and turned to him in a very energetic greeting. He, however, ignored her.

"Hey, at least answer her!" said Takane. The boy sighed.

"Shintaro Kisaragi." he said, after a moment's pause. Ayano smiled brightly.

"Nice to meet you!" she said. "Now that we're all friends, I hope we all get along!"

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Shintaro couldn't help but glance at the girl next to him. Her (beautiful) face was scrunched up, and her pencil hadn't moved at all. She had stayed like that for ten minutes already. It was obvious to see that she was stuck on that problem.

"Your pencil hasn't moved since ten minutes ago." Shintaro said finally. She looked up at him, surprised, and smiled sheepishly.

"I'm kind of stuck on this problem, haha..." she said. It was impossible for a smile to be that cute. What is life. Shintaro sighed and moved closer to her seat. He glanced at the problem she was stuck on. He explained it to her, trying to keep it as simple as possible, and a look of understanding struck her face.

"Oh! That makes so much more sense now! Thank you, Shintaro!" she said. Shintaro raised an eyebrow.

"On first name basis already?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, um-" Shintaro cut her off.

"It's alright...Ayano." She looked at him, momentarily surprised, before widening her mouth into a huge smile.

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Tsubomi stepped into the cafeteria, relieved that the first few classes were over. Shuuya followed her, grinning widely. After getting their lunches, they sat down at a table they picked that wasn't occupied by anyone else. Soon, Kousuke approached them, and Kido saw that there was someone who was hiding behind him.

"This is Marry Kozakura, and she's new to this school! Marry, say hi to my brother and sister Tsubomi Kido and Shuuya Kano!" said Kousuke, smiling at the ball of fluff hiding behind him. She peeked out from behind him shyly, still shaking.

"H-Hello..." she said quietly. Both Shuuya and Tsubomi responded, and Marry seemed to relax a bit. After a bit, Ayano came to their table, dragging three people with her, presumably her classmates. They were introduced to the sophomores as Shintaro Kisaragi, Takane Enomoto, and Haruka Kokonose. After they all had all introduced themselves, they started to eat, Ayano, Takane, and Shuuya being the ones who talked the most.

"Ah! Onii-chan!" said an energetic voice from behind Shintaro. They all looked at the speaker, who was introduced to them as Shintaro's younger sister, Momo Kisaragi, a sophomore. She was then added to the bunch. Everything was going normal for them, everyone tucking in to their food and talking to each other, until a surprised and slightly angry voice shouted from behind them:

"AH! That oba-san from this morning!" Everyone turned to look at the boy. Momo gulped. Everyone turned to look at her, then at the boy, then at her again.

"What did you do this time?" asked Shintaro. Momo laughed awkwardly.

"Well, I sorta bumped into him this morning..." she said.

"And she promised me lunch." added the boy.

"Well, a promise is a promise!" said Shuuya. "You should pay for his lunch, Kisaragi-chan!" Momo tearily pulled out her student ID and gave it to the boy. He took it, and went to buy himself lunch.

"Thanks, oba-san." he said, when he returned. Momo's mouth twitched with anger and once he put his lunch down, she smacked him on the head.

"I'm a middle schooler, and I'm not an oba-san! You sure this is how you should speak to your senpai, you elementary schooler?" she shouted.

"Well, you certainly aren't acting like a senpai." said the boy, rubbing his aching head.

"Okay, okay, break it up now." said Ayano, separating the two. The two glared at each other, before furiously gobbling down food.

"You sound like you're telling Takane and Shintaro-kun to stop fighting, Ayano-chan." said Haruka, laughing. Takane slammed her palms onto the table.

"I'm only fighting with the bastard because he's so annoying!" said Takane. Shintaro glanced at her, annoyed.

"And who's the one picking fights?" he asked.

"You, obviously-"

"Okay, okay! Stop fighting, Takane, Shintaro!" said Ayano, smiling awkwardly.

"That's right, we still don't know your name yet!" said Shuuya, turning to the boy. He looked up.

"Hibiya Amamiya, 1st year." he said. Everyone introduced themselves and said a 'nice to meet you' to him. They then continued their conversations and laughter.

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The appearance of Takane at lunchtime gave everyone a terrible fright. Shintaro's mouth dropped open and Ayano gasped, even covering her mouth with her hand. Haruka looked at her with his eyes sparkling with amazement, Hibiya spat out his milk, and Momo gazed at her with a shocked expression. Kido dropped her fork and even Kano stopped smiling. Marry's and Seto's eyes grew wide.

"Holy shit." all of them said at once. The ones that weren't comfortable with swearing had said "oh my gosh". Takane took a seat next to Haruka, and all of the others stared at her. She glared with her scarlet eyes at them, and bit into her sandwich, tossing her blue hair - that's right, BLUE hair - over her shoulder.

"What?" she asked. Takane's once jet black hair that was still its original color yesterday was now a bright electric blue. It was still in its twintails, but the blue of her hair made Takane's appearance totally different. Nobody spoke for a minute or two, and the silence was almost overwhelming. Finally, Haruka spoke.

"You weren't in class this morning, Takane. What happened?" he asked.

"And now you show up at lunchtime with your hair blue. BLUE." said Shintaro. Takane sighed.

"It's gonna be a long story." she said.

"It's alright!" said Ayano cheerfully.

"We've still got, let's see, thirty minutes of lunch." Hibiya provided helpfully. Takane sighed, and started with her story.

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"So, Takane, how has life been alone?" asked Takane's mother as she sat down at the dinner table. Takane's parents had been overseas ever since she was in third grade, and they were visiting. They rarely did that, Takane always knew deep down that they preferred Actor more than her.

"It's great." Takane replied simply. Her father raised an eyebrow at her.

"You're not mad, are you? We haven't visited because we were busy and-"

"I know, I know." said Takane. She took a bite out of the fish her mom had made.

"So, anything new?" asked her father, taking a sip of water. Takane shrugged.

"We're now in a normal classroom instead of the special class. We're quite lucky, I guess. I really do hope we have a good year..." she said. Both her parents stopped eating and looked at her, then at each other, and then back at her.

"By 'we', you mean...?" asked her mother.

"Oh. I mean me and Haruka." said Takane. Takane's mother dropped her chopsticks and Takane's father looked up sharply from his plate.

"Takane... You're _still _talking to that Kokonose boy? I thought we told you to stay away from him!" said Takane's mother. Rage started to bottle up inside Takane.

"'That Kokonose Boy', 'That Kokonose Boy'... He has a name, you know?" she said quietly but her voice unwavering.

"I can't believe you, Takane. After all we've told you... You still went against our wishes. I see... Then we have to go the hard way, don't we? I'll make a request to your teachers to change classes. Or maybe even change schools... Oh, or I could take you with us to our place overseas... Yes, that's great... We'll enroll you in the same school as Actor... And it'll be all great... Yes..." Takane's eyes had grown wide at her mother's words. She couldn't believe she was serious. She looked over to her father and saw that he was nodding along to her mother's words. She couldn't believe this.

"Transfer me to another class, to another school, and even take me overseas? Just to get me away from Haruka? What is this bullshit?! What the fuck are you even thinking? You'd better tell me that this crap isn't what you're actually thinking, and you're just kidding." Takane shouted, slamming both palms onto the table and standing up.

"What's gotten into you, Takane? Is this how you speak to your parents?" said her mother.

"And watch your language. Is this all under the Kokonose boy's influence?" said her father. At this, Takane snapped.

"I don't give a shit about my language! What the fuck has Haruka even done to you? What has he done to anyone? He's the kindest person I have ever met, more responsible than both you shitheads of parents! He would never use this crude language, and he would get all his work done as soon as he got home, and he cares about others more than you have ever in your entire life! This is ridiculous, I can't believe you both! Are you even human?" she shouted, experiencing more rage than she ever had in her entire life. Then, her mother said the words that should never have been spoken.

"But he's disabled! His illness... It could spread to you!"

"What do _you _know about his illness? It's not contagious! IT'S NOT CONTAGIOUS! Having an illness doesn't make you any different, and that's a life lesson for you to learn! Oh wait, that's right, you've never realized that in your entire life because you've got a daughter that's _disabled _standing right in front of you! That's why you preferred her twin sister more than her! Because she's fucking _disabled_, and she's got _a sickness that could spread_! That's why she was never better than her twin sister, and you didn't take her overseas!" Takane yelled, spitting out all her anger at her parents that she had kept secret for the past few years. When her words were met with silence, she simply left the table.

"You're both fucked up. I'm leaving this house, leaving you bad excuses of human beings. Goodbye and may we never meet again." she said, shooting them her best glare. Then, she ran up the stairs to her room, slammed the door, and tried to ignore the tears falling down her cheeks.

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After Takane had finished her story, everyone stared at her with a shocked expression. A silence filled the air at their table.

"And then?" asked Hibiya. Takane blinked.

"What do you mean, 'and then?' That's pretty much it." she said. Momo looked at her.

"That doesn't explain why you didn't come to school for half the day and why your hair is blue!" she said.

"Oh." said Takane. "Okay. Well, I emptied all the stuff I needed that were in my room into luggages and bags, and then jumped out the window and left. I stayed at a hotel room for the night and this morning I went to the arcade and played shooting games. Then I walked passed a hair salon and I got my hair dyed, because that was something my parents would never have approved of. Then I realized I should come over to school and at least tell you guys what happened so that you guys don't think I'm dead or anything. So here I am." Her words were met by another silence.

"Are you sure you should have talked to your parents like that? And then left your house? Your parents must be so worried!" said Ayano, frowning. Takane sighed.

"You don't know my parents. They've always thought I was less than other people, and they haven't cared much for me only because I have narcolepsy. I know they won't go around looking for me; they've been away overseas for six years and they haven't called or texted me." she said. "I don't care either. Not when I know what they _really _think."

"I'm sorry, Takane..." Everyone looked at Haruka as he spoke. "It's all my fault that you've fought with your parents..."

"Don't be. I've been wanting to say all that for a long time. I should be thanking you for giving me the courage for getting all this out." said Takane. Momo lifted one twintail up and played with it.

"But really, don't you miss your old hair color?" she asked. Takane shrugged.

"Naw, it's all okay. I actually quite like this color, it's pretty." Haruka nodded furiously to these words.

"Totally! It's so cool!" he said. "Oh, I know! I'll go dye my hair as well!" Everyone looked at him at these words.

"A-Are you serious?" asked Shintaro. Haruka nodded.

"You don't have to do this, Haruka." said Takane. Haruka laughed.

"I really think it's cool! It's something I want to do, Takane." he said.

And that was how Haruka came to school the next day with white hair.

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"Takane-chan! Let's go home!" said Momo, waving. Takane looked up and saw that her friends were all there. She quickly packed up her bag and went to them. Her three other classmates did the same.

"Let's stop by somewhere before we go home! How 'bout the CD store?" asked Momo. Kido nodded.

"That works with me." she said. Everyone else also gave a nod of approval.

"Oh yeah, I've got something to tell you guys." said Takane. Everyone stopped walking and looked at her.

"I've decided to change my name from Takane to Ene!" she said. Her words were responded by blank stares. She sighed.

"Of course, not changing my name officially, but just for the years I'm at school, I'll be referred to as Ene. My parents were quite proud of their name-choosing, so that's why I'm changing it." she said. Shuuya laughed.

"Quite a rebel." he commented. Marry looked confused.

"Is there a special reason for this name...?" she asked.

"Oh! I know! It's because of your full name, Takane Enomoto, right?" said Ayano, putting emphasis on "E" and "ne". Takane smiled proudly.

"That's right!" she said. Haruka's eyes were shining as he listened to the conversation excitedly.

"That's so cool! I'll think of a name for myself, too!" he said, and he thought for a while. "How about Konoha? From my name Haruka Kokonose!" He put emphasis on the "Ko", "no", and "Ha".

"That's really cool! It's just like hero code names!" said Ayano excitedly. Just as she finished her sentence, they had arrived at the CD shop. Everyone went around to different sections, looking for CDs with the type of music they liked.

Tsubomi had decided on buying the CD that she had wanted for a long time, and just as she set her hand on it, she saw another hand grab onto it as well. She looked up and saw the person looking back at her, her eyebrows arched and her expression dark.

"Tsubomi, what happened?" asked Kousuke. The rest of the group of friends had walked up to her, seeing that she hadn't gone to meet up with them.

"Listen, if you don't want to get hurt, give me the CD." The person spoke, and all of them turned their attention towards her. Marry looked scared, while Ene simply raised an eyebrow.

"I'll have to decline." said Tsubomi, which surprised both Shuuya and Kousuke. The opposing girl looked like someone who you shouldn't mess with, yet Tsubomi stood her ground. The other girl had narrowed her eyes, obviously not used to not getting what she wanted.

"Conceal, what's up?" asked a boy, approaching the girl, Conceal, with about ten other people.

"Just beat them up already." said a girl, twisting and playing with a lock of her long curly hair with her finger. Konoha suddenly stepped up from behind everyone.

"Kuroha?" he asked, uncertainly. A tall boy from the group, who looked _identical _to Konoha except for the longer black hair and golden eyes, looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"So you've decided to acknowledge my existence... Older brother." A look of shock spread through the group of friends.

"That's your brother, Konoha?" asked Hibiya, his eyebrow twitching. Although at a closer look they would be identical, Konoha and Kuroha looked nowhere near brothers. Konoha gave out a whole feeling of kindness and gentleness, while Kuroha was the complete opposite. His black clothing and dangerous expression made him seem harmful, even evil.

"Konoha? Interesting. A name change." Kuroha said, looking amused. "And well, well, isn't this Takane? A pleasure meeting you again, after such a long time." All eyes went to Ene, whose eyes narrowed into a dangerous glare.

"Obviously not my pleasure." she said, her tone overflowing with hate. Kuroha laughed.

"Well, am I heartbroken." he said.

"Have you decided to give me the CD yet?" Conceal cut in.

"That's my question." said Tsubomi. "If you want it, then you'll have to fight me." Her words surprised everyone.

"Tsubomi, is this CD that important? Are you sure.."

"I'm sure." said Tsubomi, answering Kousuke's question. "There's only one CD left in this shop, and I don't want to back down to her." At Tsubomi's challenge, Conceal's whole group burst into laughter.

"Oh, my, god! I haven't heard a challenge in such a long time! They're so funny, I can't help it!" said the girl who was playing with her hair. "Are you sure you want to fight us?"

"Sure as ever." said Tsubomi.

"Well, if it's for Tsubomi, then I guess I can't back down either." said Shuuya, rolling up his sleeves and stepping forward.

"Sh-Shuuya? You don't have to-" started Tsubomi, surprised.

"Let's move this somewhere else, shall we?" asked Shintaro, already walking out the door. The others followed. They all faced each other, group against group.

"I'm not fighting." said Kuroha, yawning, stepping to the side. A short boy from his group looked at him, surprised.

"What? Because you don't want to hurt your brother and his friends? Wow, Kuroha. Not like you at all. Usually you would jump for the opportunity to fight." he said.

"Of course not, don't be stupid. I take no interest in the conflict. It's too boring." said Kuroha, leaning against the wall of a shop.

"That's alright. We'll beat these morons even without you." said a boy. "How long do you think they'll last, Combine? Thirty seconds?" The girl who was playing with her hair smiled.

"I think fifteen." she said. "Now, are you ready to die?"

"I think that's what we should say." said Ene, and the fight began. Conceal charged at Tsubomi and tried to land a punch on her, but Tsubomi quickly blocked it with her hands. The other members of Conceal's team also rushed up, throwing punches and kicks at them, but everyone blocked and dodged their attacks well. Tsubomi couldn't remember how, but they had managed to fight of Conceal and her friends, who were extremely good at fighting. They were all very, very surprised.

"Tsk. We're leaving." said a girl with twintails, walking off. Her friends followed. Kuroha cast one glance at his gang's opponents, Ene in particular, then walked off. Tsubomi and her friends looked at each other, and after a moment of silence, they all burst into laughter.

"That was... Amazing!" said Ene, laughing.

"I didn't think that we would be able to beat them!" said Marry. "I thought we were all going to fail there on the spot!"

"Who were they, anyways?" asked Hibiya, glancing at the spot their opponent had been.

"They're AZAMI, the strongest gang pretty much in this city." said Konoha. "They've been working together ever since they were young, and I only know the identity of one member, Kuroha. The others go by code names, and their leader is unknown. Their code names are Conceal, Steal, Deceive, Stare, Combine, Captivate, Open, Retain, Focus, Awaken, Clear and Favor. Clear is my brother, Kuroha."

"Wow." Kousuke couldn't help saying.

"But seriously, this combination really IS strong! How about we form a gang together?" said Shuuya, grinning from ear to ear. Hibiya raised his eyebrows.

"I didn't come for a school life full of fights." he said. Shuuya laughed.

"Well, gangs don't have to fight every day, you know! We could just be a group of friends who hang out together! But if we get picked on, we would be able to fight back!" he said proudly. Shintaro took a sip of his coke.

"I don't have anything against that." he said. Shuuya smiled.

"Then it's decided! We'll be... Hmm, the Blindfold Gang! And our leader will be Tsubomi!" he said. Tsubomi, hearing this, spun to face him, her face red.

"M-Me?! The leader?! Did that hit go to your brain, Shuuya?!" she shouted. Shuuya laughed.

"Nope! I'm serious! Tsubomi would be a great leader, I'm sure of it!" he said.

"Then call me Kido from now on." said Tsubomi, or now Kido. "You know I didn't like my name even from when I was young."

"Eh~? But Tsubomi is such a cute name ~!" he pouted. Kido shot him a glare.

"Listen, _Kano_, this is my first order as leader of the Blindfold Gang." she said. "Kido is a much cooler name anyways. It fits being leader more." Kano blinked a few times, then burst into laughter.

"I knew you'd love this kind of stuff! Alright then, Kido! Then, everyone else, call me Kano as well! I guess the same would go for you, right, Seto?" he asked, turning to his brother. Seto's eyes widened, then his mouth set into a smile.

"That sounds great!" he said.

"Then it's decided! We are the Blindfold Gang from now on! And to remember this day, let's take a picture together!" he said. I suddenly had a great idea.

"Then use this!" said Momo, tossing her selfie stick to Kano. He caught it and glanced at it shortly before attaching his phone onto it.

"Great idea, Kisaragi-chan!" he said, before raising his arm high up into the air. "Gather around, everyone!" Everyone crowded in and glanced at the camera, making peace signs and weird faces.

* * *

**_Chapter 09: Toumei Answer_**

_"OH MY GOD!"_

_I looked up, hearing a scream. I squinted my eyes up at the school rooftop, wishing that I had Hibiya's eyesight. I saw that someone was falling, falling from the rooftop. My eyes widened. That obviously wasn't something good. Someone was falling from the school rooftop. That height could kill someone! I squinted harder to try to see who it was. Did I know this person?_

_My eyes widened even further. I felt the whole world spinning, and my head started to hurt. That person... That person..._

_It couldn't be. But it has to be. That brown hair. That clad of red. _

_Ayano...?_

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**I hope you liked this chapter. It's longer and well it showed how the Blindfold Gang was formed. That's always interesting. And I got to write a rebellious Takane. I imagine Takane's parents would be horrible, because their daughter was gone for 2 years and they didn't even bother to do anything?!**

**Read, review, favorite, follow, please :)**


	9. 009: Toumei Answer

**OKAY. BEFORE YOU THROW YOUR STICKS AND STONES AT ME LET ME SPEAK. I KNOW THIS CHAPTER IS LOOOOOOONG OVERDUE. I KNOW, OKAY? I WAS BUSY. AND I WAS STUCK. I'M SORRY. I'M DEEPLY SORRY. But hey, this is an extra long chapter, and oh my god, it is gooooood. Personally, this would be one of my favorite chapters, and the end, oh the end. I would say it's quite worth the wait. However, that'll be up to you. Please enjoy!**

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The name Shintaro Kisaragi has appeared at the top of the exam charts every time, no matter it be Science, Math, English, or History. My tests would be returned with a huge 100 on the top marked in red, and the paper would be filled with red checkmarks. Every day was boring, so boring. Nothing new happened.

I didn't have friends. Nor did I think I needed any. I was fine alone. The people in my classes didn't want me as a friend either. Nobody talked to me, nobody hung out with me, I was all alone. Then again, that didn't bother me at all. Who cares? I can manage by myself. Other peoples' thoughts would disturb my own.

I had thought I would be alone for my whole school life. However, on the first day of my third year as a middle schooler, a girl talked to me. She introduced herself to me, smiling, in a manner that was so kind that my ideals changed for just a second. She became my first friend.

She was Ayano Tateyama.

Ayano introduced me to her younger siblings and we became a group of ten friends. Along with a new member that joined a few years later, Actor, we were the Blindfold Gang.

It was all because of Ayano that my everyday became filled with fun and laughter.

But I was never able to do anything for her.

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It was after school. I had stayed at school for an errand I had to do (involuntarily) for the teachers: I had to grade the tests of the students of my class. Obviously, this task was given to me by our homeroom teacher, Kenjirou Tateyama.

He was also Ayano's father.

At the end of school today, he had shoved these papers in front of me and told me to grade them because he was too lazy. Sighing, I wondered why I didn't refuse on the spot and threaten to tell the chairman. Spinning my pen around my fingers, I took a sip of my can of coke. I put the paper I just finished grading into the other pile, and the name written on the next test made my eyebrows raise.

Ayano Tateyama. Class 3-B.

It was her test. Oh god, I'll be having a headache after grading this from her stupidity. I turned my attention back to her test.

After a few minutes, her paper was filled with red x-marks and checkmarks. A number was written in red on the front page: 68. It was better than I expected. So she _was_ actually studying. I smiled slightly.

Finishing off the other tests, I stood up and stretched. I took the pile to the teachers' office, and I walked out of the building to get some fresh air. Grading tests was harder than I thought. Maybe I'll get another can of coke.

"OH MY GOD!"

I looked up, hearing a scream. I squinted my eyes up at the school rooftop, wishing that I had Hibiya's eyesight. I saw that someone was falling, falling from the rooftop. My eyes widened. That obviously wasn't something good. Someone was falling from the school rooftop. That height could kill someone! I squinted harder to try to see who it was. Did I know this person?

My eyes widened even further. I felt the whole world spinning, and my head started to hurt. That person... That person...

It couldn't be. But it has to be. That brown hair. That clad of red.

Ayano...?

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It seemed like forever that I was standing there, gaping, shocked. My legs could barely support me, and they didn't carry me forward to where Ayano was. My head was still hurting, and the world was still spinning. I was shaking, shaking as if I was trapped in eternal winter and I was getting frostbite. But the shivering was not because of cold; it was because of shock and fear.

Ayano. Ayano. Ayano.

I have to get her. I have to get to Ayano.

I forced my legs to move forward, slowly at first, then breaking into a run, sprinting to where Ayano was. I needed to be beside her.

If I didn't reach her in time, what I would do? What if she got hurt? What if she was in a coma? What if... What if she was gone from the world forever?

My heart ached at the possibility that popped up finally sinking in. What would I do? I shook my head. This was not the time. I needed to prevent that.

Ayano. Ayano. AYANO.

I soon came to the row bushes that she should have fell into. I scanned the bushes for the familiar clad of red, and sure enough, I saw her. I sucked in a breath of cold air. Her brown hair was messed up, most likely by the wind that accompanied her fall. Her hands were spread out on the bush, and her position was like she was jumping into a pile of autumn leaves or the winter snow. There were many cuts on her legs, with a fair amount of blood oozing out. Her beautiful face had a few scratches, and her eyes were closed tight. It looked as if she was only sleeping, but I knew that wasn't the case. Her signature red scarf had come quite undone, but still clung to her neck. Leaves scattered over her uniform, twigs were in her hair, and the wind was blowing stronger and stronger by the second.

I had thought about what I would do when I got to her while running. I would carry her to the nurse's office, ask someone to come help, or even call 911. But when I finally stood in front of her, I couldn't move. I just stared at her, my mind wiped completely blank. I stood for what seemed like eternity, before I heard a voice from behind me.

"Oi, Master! What are you doing, standing there?" It was Ene. I heard footsteps coming from behind, not of one person, not of two people, but three.

"What's up, Shintaro?" asked a voice extremely similar to Ene's, but a little deeper and less of Ene's annoying excitement. It was Actor. Konoha must be the third person, then. They had come up to me, and they were now standing next to me. They followed my gaze, and even though I wasn't looking at them, I could tell their eyes widened at the sight in front of them.

"Ayano...-chan?" Actor said. Ene had suck in a huge breath. She took my by the shoulder and shook me until my vision was blurred.

"What happened to Ayano-chan? WHAT HAPPENED? I'M ASKING YOU HERE, KISARAGI. WHAT HAPPENED?" She yelled. I clutched my head in pain.

"I don't know! I DON'T KNOW! Enomoto, save her. Please... Please save her!" I yelled, breaking down. She didn't have to be told twice. She looked to Konoha, who nodded. Kneeling down, she picked Ayano up carefully. Actor quickly took out her phone and dialed three numbers.

"Hello? A girl is terribly hurt here, 17 years old, at Kagerou High. I think she fell from the rooftop. Many cuts and stuff, but there might be internal injuries too. We're not quite sure. Please send an ambulance over!" Actor said into the phone. After nodding a few times, she ended the call and put the phone back into her pocket.

"They're coming in a few minutes." she said. Ene nodded and turned to me. She must have noticed that I couldn't move.

"Get a grip, Shintaro!" she said, shaking my shoulders. "Ambulances are coming. Relax for a sec." I let out a huge breath of air, and I collapsed onto the cold, hard ground. Ene left to go check on Ayano. I took a few deep breaths and then stood up once more. I walked over to the bench that they had set Ayano down on. Ene, Actor, and Konoha had taken off their hoodies to make the hard bench more comfortable. Without thinking, I took off my hoodie and covered it over Ayano for a blanket. It was the least I could do. I kept on pacing, waiting for the ambulance.

We only waited for about three minutes, but it seemed like forever. The ambulance came rushing in, the sound of the siren loud enough to make us deaf. The doctors and nurses came running out, putting Ayano onto a stretcher and carried her into the ambulance. I stepped in behind the doctors, and Ene, Actor, and Konoha were about to do the same but a doctor stopped them.

"Only one of you all can come." he said. We looked at each other, and they nodded. They had formed a silent agreement that I was the one to go. I thanked them under my breath and the ambulance doors closed. Even though it was my first time on an ambulance, I didn't take the chance to look around. Instead, I sat right next to Ayano. I extended a shaking hand and gripped hers. It was so cold.

"I understand your concern for your girlfriend, boy, but don't worry too much. She's going to be alright." said a doctor, who was rummaging through a drawer close by.

"She's not my girlfriend." I said, not taking my eyes off Ayano, fearing that if I did, she would disappear from my sight. The doctor had looked up for a sec, surprised.

"But you wish she was, don't you?" he asked. I stayed silent, wondering if all doctors were this pesky. The next few minutes in the ambulance was a blur. I couldn't remember much that happened, since I was lost in my own thoughts. When we finally arrived, the ambulance doors opened quickly and the stretcher was quickly pushed out. I jumped off and ran along. I followed them all the way until the emergency room, where they shut the doors in my face and the light went up. I took a few shaky steps and sat down on a chair. My back was against the wall and I leaned my head back, looking up at the ceiling.

I didn't know how much time had passed when the rest of the Blindfold Gang showed up. Kano took me by the shoulders and shook me hard.

"What happened to Nee-chan?" he asked, his voice oddly calm. I wanted to reply him, but I found no sound coming from my throat. Seeing that I didn't reply, Kano became frustrated. I wouldn't blame him.

"I asked you what happened to Nee-chan!" shouted Kano, already holding up a fist to punch me. Momo pulled him back, trying to restrain him from beating me up.

"Let go of me! Are you on his side just because he's your brother? Or are you scared that I'll beat him up too badly?" Kano said, glaring at Momo.

"Just shut up already, Kano." said Kido quietly, before Momo could say anything. Everyone looked at Kido, who was standing in a corner.

"But, Kido-!"

"I said just shut up already!" Kido shouted. Visible tears were swimming in her eyes and they rolled down her cheeks one by one. At the sight of her tears, Kano quickly closed his mouth. He looked slightly guilty. The other members sat down quietly. Kano was pacing back and forth, waiting for the doors to open. Kido let the tears drop silently, still leaning against the wall, occasionally wiping them away with her hands. Seto comforted the crying Marry quietly, although he himself looked like he needed some comforting. Momo was biting on the nail of her thumb, something she did often when she was nervous or thinking. Hibiya sat by himself, and he looked as if he was thinking about something. Ene laid her on Actor's shoulder, and the both of them squeezed each other's hands. Konoha had his hands clasped together, touching his forehead, and he was silently praying.

We all wished for Ayano's safety.

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After the longest wait of my life, the light above the emergency room's doors switched off and the doors flew open. We all stood up immediately, and we saw the doctors roll Ayano out. She was so pale, and her eyes were shut firmly. Her beautiful brown hair was matted, knotted, and a total mess. Her scarf was removed from her neck and was placed next to her.

"Ayano-" I called out, but she was quickly rolled away on the stretcher by the nurses and doctors. We were about to follow, but the remaining doctor stopped us.

"The patient is alright." he said. "No big internal injuries, but she's in a coma. It'll be all up to her if she wakes up."

"What do you mean 'if' she wakes up? Are you saying there's a possibility that Ayano-chan will just sleep like that eternally?!" asked Ene.

"I am not rejecting that possibility, as it is likely. Like I said, it'll be all up to her." said the doctor. "Please refrain from visiting the patient today. You can come back tomorrow." After a few moments of silence, everyone gave a hasty bow and walked back to the base in complete silence.

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The whole Blindfold Gang decided to skip school for the day in order to see Ayano. Nobody was in the mood for learning or studying.

The news that Ayano Tateyama fell from the school rooftop spread around the school like wildfire. Soon, even the freshmen who didn't even know her knew of what happened. It was all everyone would talk about.

"Kuroha told me about it," said the one who informed us of it, Actor, upon being questioned how she knew. "He said that everyone was making up stories that weren't true. A lot of the girls were acting as if Ayano-chan was their best friend and they're terribly shocked, even though they probably never talked to her before, just to get attention!"

"Those bitches," said Ene. "They don't even know anything! How dare they!" We soon approached her hospital room. Kido knocked once, and opened the door. We all filed into the room, and we saw that other than Ayano, there were two other people in the room. Kenjirou Tateyama and his wife. Ayano's parents.

"Oh, you guys came." said Kenjirou, standing up to greet us. His wife did the same.

"Dad-" Kido was cut off by her father's embrace. It only occurred to me now that since Kido, Seto, and Kano were Ayano's siblings, her parents would be their parents too. Kenjirou looked to Seto and Kano and nodded. The two brothers looked at each other, nodded, and also hugged their father and sister. While Kenjirou was hugging his children, Ayano's mother walked up to the remainder of us.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Ayano's mother, Ayaka Tateyama. Thank you so much for taking care of my daughter." she said.

"It's us that were taken care of by Ayano, really." said Momo, laughing a bit. Ayaka smiled.

"I see," she said. "She really is a kind child, Ayano." She cast a sad smile to the direction of the hospital bed.

"...She'll wake up, won't she?" asked Konoha. Ayaka smiled.

"Of course. The world can't be so cruel to give me two deaths of family in one single year." she said. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hibiya look up sharply.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, but who...?" Hibiya stopped mid-sentence awkwardly. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No, no, it's okay." said Ayaka. "My younger sister died a few months ago. She was crushed by a truck." She laughed dryly. Hibiya's eyes widened, and to my surprise so did Momo's, although not to the extent of Hibiya's.

"U-um, what was her name? The name of your younger sister?" asked Hibiya, his voice urgent. It sounded as if he could break down any moment.

"Hiyori. Her name was Hiyori Asahina." Hibiya sucked in a breath at Ayaka's words.

"...I'm sorry, please excuse me." said Hibiya, after a few moments of silence when he tried to find his voice again. He ran out of the hospital room.

"Hibiya-kun!" Momo called out, and after giving a hasty bow, she ran out after him.

"Did I say something to upset him?" asked Ayaka, worried. Hiyori. That name did ring a bell. I realized that Hiyori was the girl Hibiya had been talking about months ago. The girl he would quit the gang for. She had died...! I didn't know. Hibiya never brought her up again.

"...He knew your sister." I said finally.

"Oh, is that so..." she said, giving a sad smile. After a few moments of silence, she spoke up again. "Could I talk to you for a second alone please, Kisaragi-kun?" I looked up at her, surprised. I nodded, and we stepped out of the room.

"I just wanted to thank you, Kisaragi-kun. I heard that you were the first one to find Ayano. You saved her. Thank you very much, my dear. We all owe you so much." said Ayaka. My eyes widened, and my fists were clenched. My vision was starting to get blurry. Within seconds, tears were running down my cheeks.

"But I... I couldn't do anything...! I could only stand there, watching her, not able to even move when she was in pain... I'm the reason that she's still in a coma... If I had gotten to her sooner, then I-" Ayaka put a hand on my head, stroking my hair.

"Don't cry, Kisaragi-kun. If you hadn't found her, then she would have been hidden in the bushes for a longer amount of time. She wasn't that easy to find, was she? You saved her life, Kisaragi-kun, so don't cry. It's alright." Ayaka's words brought more tears to my eyes. I kept on crying, and Ayaka kept patting my head. When I finally stopped crying, I looked up at her.

"You're a very kind person, Mrs. Tateyama." I said. Ayaka smiled.

"Thank you, Kisaragi-kun. You are, too." she said. "Now, shall we go in?" We walked back into the hospital room, and I pulled up a chair beside Ayano's hospital bed, where she lay peacefully.

Ayano wasn't suicidal at all. She wouldn't have jumped off the rooftop on purpose, trying to kill herself. There must be a reason she did this.

Don't worry, Ayano. I'll definitely find the reason why this happened.

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Alright. Time to solve this mystery. I can't just sit here like junk, doing nothing while Ayano was in pain. I had to do something to help her. I couldn't bear being so helpless when she was in this sort of state.

She had always loved heroes. She'd always try so hard to be like the heroes she loved so much. Now, it's my turn.

What were the facts that I already knew? I went over them in my head. This Tuesday, I had heard a scream from the rooftop, and therefore looked up and saw Ayano falling. I went over to the bushes and found her, and she was sent to the hospital on an ambulance called in by Actor. My brows furrowed as I recalled one detail that I could investigate on: that scream. That scream I heard that brought me to the attention of the rooftop. Thinking about the voice, I knew it didn't belong to Ayano. It belonged to a girl, but who? And how could I find out?

I opened up my computer and tried to hack the surveillance cameras of the school. Since it was after school, not many students stayed at school, so it would have to be one of the ones that did. I cursed under my breath as I scanned my eyes over the codes that popped up on the screen. The school's system wasn't easy to hack.

"Oi, Ene." I called out, seeing that Ene walked into the living room and right pass me. She took a can of Sprite out of the fridge and looked over her shoulder.

"What?" she asked.

"I need you to help me on something." I said. Ene raised her eyebrows.

"You need _my _help? On what?" she asked. Ene was no longer the energetic, peppy Ene that the Gang had known; she had reverted back to the mean, sarcastic, and tsundere Takane Enomoto. Was it her way of coping with fear? I didn't know.

"I need to hack the surveillance cameras of the school. But with my skills, it's too hard. You've always been good with computers and hacking. So help me." I said. "Please." I added.

"Why are you hacking the cameras?" she asked, looking confused. She took a sip out of her can of Sprite.

"I'm going to figure out what the reason behind Ayano's fall is." I said. Ene froze, her eyes wide. She walked over to me and sat down on the couch. She took the computer out of my hands and started typing. Codes flew across the screen, more complex than the ones I just witnessed.

"I want to help, too." said Ene. "What else do I do after cracking these cameras?" I looked away. Having Ene help me would definitely boost my chances of success. It would be great if the whole Blindfold Gang cooperated and tried to find that reason. But... I wanted to do it myself.

"...I want to do this myself." I said. Ene stopped typing and she looked up at me.

"Ayano-chan's my friend too. She's our friend. I want to do my part in finding what made her jump." she said.

"I understand. I understand, Ene. But even so... I want to do this alone. I've never... Done anything for Ayano. This is the least I could do." I said. There was a small silence following my word, then Ene resumed typing.

"Alright then. I get it. I'll keep it from everyone else, too." she said. "But you'd better tell everyone once you find it!" She hit enter, and many different windows popped up. They were videos from every single surveillance camera on Tuesday, from the moment school ended to the time we found Ayano.

"There." said Ene, stretching. She stood up and walked back to her room.

"Ene!" I called after her. She turned around. "Thanks." She smiled at my words.

"Anytime, Master." she said, and disappeared down the hall. I turned my attention back to the videos on my computer. First, I have to hide the videos that would not be of any use so they wouldn't be distracting. The rooftop did not have cameras, but the staircase that led to it did have one placed in a great position. That video I definitely needed. I could also probably use all the videos that captured what was happening all around that building. I closed all the videos I didn't need and started watching what happened at the stairs leading to the rooftop.

Apart from Ayano, there were three other girls that had gone up to the rooftop. The last girl was most likely the girl who had witnessed what had happened to Ayano and screamed. Her timing fit perfectly, and when she came down the stairs she looked a little shaken. It must be her.

I squinted at my computer screen to see who this person was. I immediately groaned when I realized who it was.

The queen bee, Mangetsu Katsuragi. The leader of her army of skanks. Evil that takes on a human form. A bitch that I did not want to associate myself with _at all_.

With a name like that, she was already in the center of attention. You don't see the name 'Mangetsu' every day, and naturally she was known by everyone in her grade on the first day of school, even by some of the upperclassmen. She was, also, rather pretty, in that **gyaru **type of way. She would come to school everyday with makeup fully-equipped, a skirt that seemed to get shorter as the days went by, and her hair tied up perfectly. She's the most popular girl in school, and she's had multiple boyfriends, all of them jocks and popular as fuck.

How am I going to talk to a girl like that?!

Calm down. Calm down, Shintaro. There must be something else I could do. Somewhere else I could start from. Another approach. I could take another approach to the problem...!

I watched the video over and over again, but no luck. There wasn't anyone that looked suspicious, and if there was, he or she must have known about the camera's blind spot. I sighed. Looks like I was left with no choice but to talk to Mangetsu Katsuragi.

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I decided to go to Mangetsu during break, and look for a time she was alone. The gang must have realized I had something to do, so they didn't really come bug me. Ene must have told them not to or something. My eyes were on Mangetsu the whole time, and when she went to the vending machine to get a drink alone, I decided that was the best time to converse with her.

"Katsuragi-san," I said as I approached her. She looked at me. She was extremely beautiful up close, but... She wasn't the type that I liked. "Can I have a word with you?" She seemed to think for a while, and she smiled.

"Nope!" she said. I suddenly had the urge to punch this bitch. "I'm quite busy, you know, unlike you. I have things to do. I hope to not have to talk to you anymore in the future." Mangetsu says these things with such a bright smile on her face. Usually I would be scared as fuck, but today I felt something snap inside me.

"This is very important! Somebody's life is on the line, and you can't just listen to my words for a bit?!" I yelled. Clearly a little taken back by my words, Mangetsu nodded.

"O-Okay then, I'll listen. But make it quick." she said, playing with her hair.

"Did you see how Ayano fell from the rooftop on Tuesday? Do you know anything that nobody else does?" I asked. The unopened can of juice fell from Mangetsu's hand. She had froze, and her eyes were wide.

"Why would I know anything? And even if I knew, why would I tell you? I don't care about Tateyama-san, anyways. It's not like we're great friends or anything." she said, a fake smile plastered on her face.

"Katsuragi-"

"I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" She shouted, quickly crouching on the ground, clutching her head. I was quite shocked by her outburst.

"I don't know anything... I don't know anything...! So don't come ask me again!" she said, shakily. I left without another word. Now was definitely not a good time to pester her. Once she calmed down, I'll go ask her again. I always thought that Mangetsu Katsuragi was someone superior, but she might just be... A normal girl.

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"Katsuragi-san." I stopped beside Mangetsu's locker at the end of school. She sighed and kept on packing her bag.

"I told you, I'm not going to tell you anything." she said.

"I'll do anything." I said. At this, she looked up at me. "I'll kneel at your feet in front of the school if you want me to. I'll be your servant for the remainder of my high school life. Anything. So please." I bowed. She stopped what she was doing and faced me.

"Alright then." she said, after a long hesitation. "I'll tell you what I know, but after you accompany me." I looked up at her, confused.

"To where?" I asked.

"Oh, just the mall." she said. "Don't take this wrongly! I just need someone to carry my bags and stuff." She looked quite flustered, and her face was red. Mangetsu at this moment reminded me of Ene as Takane.

"Okay then. But you promise that you'll tell me what you know afterwards." I said. Mangetsu smiled.

"Of course. I swear on the Angel." she said, swinging her backpack over her shoulder. We walked out of the school gates and to the mall.

"I didn't know you liked that series. I didn't even know you read." I said. She looked offended.

"Of course I read! I might be the queen bee and a bitch to the public and all, but it's not like I'm stupid or anything!" she said. I stopped walking and glanced at her. She realized that I looked surprised at her words, and she smiled bitterly.

"I do know of my reputation at school. Queen bee. Evil that takes on a human form. A bitch. Right?" she said. She started walking again, and I followed. "I know you think I'm like that as well, just like most of the students at our school. But you're not wrong. I think so as well, and I know I act that way at school. I've done really bitchy things before, and I'm so, so evil. But what can I do? I can't fix any mistakes I've made." She laughed. "Why am I telling you this? I'm sorry, I shouldn't-"

"I admit I thought you were a bitch before." My sudden words made Mangetsu turn to look at me. "But now that I've actually talked to you more, I start to wonder if all those rumors are true. I feel really stupid that I believed the rumors." Mangetsu stared at me, her eyes wide. She quickly turned away, but before she did, I thought I saw a tear trickle down her cheek.

"Thanks, Kisaragi-kun." She paused. "Could you... Do me a favor?" Seeing that I didn't object, she continued. "Could you... Call me by my first name?" I blinked.

"Sure, but why-"

"The reason doesn't matter, does it?" Mangetsu quickly cut in. "Now, we're here! You'd better hold all those shopping bags carefully!"

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"Thanks for accompanying me today." said Mangetsu. It was time for her to go home, since she, apparently, had an early curfew. "I had lots of fun. I'll tell you what I know, but can I ask you something first?"

"What?" I asked. She took a deep breath and looked at me, the seriousness showing in her eyes.

"You like Tateyama-san, don't you?" My face flushed at the sudden question. I clenched my fists. What was I hiding from? I've known what I felt ever since middle school, haven't I? I just didn't want to accept it. It's time that I should accepted the truth already, right? I can't deny it for the rest of my life. I'll definitely regret it. So...

"Yeah. I love her." I said. After a small pause, Mangetsu smiled.

"This is the first time I've lost..." I heard her murmur. Before I could say anything, she quickly slapped me on the back. "You'd better confess to her soon!" I nodded absently.

"Listen, Kisaragi-kun. Tateyama-san's fall was definitely not an accident. It was intentional. She was pushed down by somebody." she said. My eyes widened. Of course, this possibility had occurred to me, but I didn't think somebody would do that. I didn't know a person who hated Ayano, or anyone who was that cruel. I was already shaking from the shock and horror.

"Did you see who it was? Who was it, Mangetsu?!" I said, clenching my fists. She looked away.

"Seiji Kurozawa." she said. I searched my mind, trying to remember who it was. I believe I worked with him once for a science project during sophomore year, and this year, he was in our class. He was a nice guy, good-looking, and quite good at pretty much everything. I didn't think someone like that would be the one.

"...Thanks for telling me." I said finally. Mangetsu nodded.

"You'd better beat some sense into that guy!" she said. "That'll be it. See you at school tomorrow, Kisaragi-kun!" With that, she left. Realizing that it was late, I headed back to the base.

Seiji Kurozawa.

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"Now, you said you wanted to talk to me, Kisaragi?" said Seiji. We stood on the rooftop, the same place this guy pushed Ayano off. "Now, if you're confessing your love to me, I'll have to reject. I don't swing that way, you know." I clenched my fists.

"You're the one who pushed Ayano off this rooftop." I said. A single, simple statement made his smiling expression turn serious. "You don't need to try to deny it. Mangetsu told me. She saw you push Ayano off."

"What, you've figured it out? That's a shame." To my surprise, Seiji Kurozawa did not show any remorse. Instead, he looked bored. That bored expression made me even angrier.

"Why did you do it? What did Ayano ever do to you? She would never do anything to make anyone angry!" I shouted. At this, he laughed.

"She rejected me." he said. "She rejected me. Everyone's rejecting me, rejecting my existence... From my parents that abuse me, to my friends who betrayed me, to my teachers just stand around and do nothing... This world is hopeless, so why not end it with my own hands? Starting from her..." He looked at me, smiling. "Maybe you'll be next." Without another word, I rushed up to him with a fist aimed at his face. He easily blocked it and sent me flying.

"What, is that all you've got?"he asked. He laughed, a sly and evil laugh. "I've heard that you're one of the weakest ones of your gang. You're more of the brain, aren't you? If your gang was with you, then maybe I won't stand a chance, but with only you... I have nothing to fear."

That was how the fight began.

I unleashed all my rage at him through punches and kicks. Today, I felt stronger, powered by the rage and anger I felt. This guy could have killed Ayano. I won't forgive him.

I didn't know how, but I... defeated him. What, was this the power of love?

I laughed. That was stupid. This isn't a cliché manga. Then again, the events up to now have pretty much been quite cliché. Life cannot get any better.

"I don't know what you've been through, but what I do know is that Ayano had nothing to do with it. You almost killed someone innocent. You'd better not do anything like that ever again." With that, I left. The moment I left the rooftop, my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID, wondering who it was. It was Ene. What did she want?

"Hey, Shintaro! Ayano woke up!"

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"Ayano!" I shouted, flinging open the door of her hospital room. I had run all the way from school. Who even cares about school?

And there she was, sitting up in the bed, smiling at the flowers she received. Her red scarf was placed on a chair next to her, but she wore her usual smile.

It was so nice to see that smile again.

"Ah, Shintaro!" she said, her smile growing bigger. I quickly ran over to her and I wrapped my arms around her. She was quite surprised, and to be honest, so was I.

"Are you hurt anywhere? Any wounds? Do they hurt? Are you alright? Do you need anything?" As soon as I released her, these questions tumbled out of my mouth. To my surprise, Ayano started laughing.

"That's the first time I've seen Shintaro _this _worried!" she said. I gritted my teeth. This was the time to say it. To tell her the feelings that were three years late.

I must tell her. I can't risk loosing her again.

"...Of course I'd be worried if the girl I love got hurt!" I said. The moment I said this, both of our faces reddened. I had the urge to look away, but I forced myself not to. Ayano was blushing insanely. It was so cute.

"...E-eh? Eh?! Th-The girl you love... E-eh?! Sh-Shintaro, do you have a fever? A-Are you sick? Oh, did you _drink_? Are you drunk, Shintaro? T-That's not good, you're still a minor!..." she stuttered.

"I'm not drunk! I'm serious!" I said. "I've been in love with you ever since eighth grade when we met! ...I love you, Ayano. W-Will you bee my girlfriend?" Ah, that was so like me, stuttering at such a touching scene. I turned my gaze back to Ayano, and I saw a tear roll down her cheek. They weren't tears of sadness.

They were tears of happiness.

Ayano nodded, her face breaking into a smile. She gave an answer to me, an answer as transparent was the summer sky:

"Yes...!"

* * *

**_Chapter 10: Shinigami Record_**

_"Ah, uh, hello!" Someone spoke from above me, and judging from his tone, I could tell that he was talking to me. Well, I don't really care, so I'll just ignore-_

_Wait, he was talking to me. Nobody had talked to me ever since... A long time ago. I looked up to see who in the world it was. To my surprise (actually, not really), it was the transfer student. What was his name again? I forgot. _

_"Are you talking to me?" I couldn't help but ask. He laughed awkwardly._

_"U-um, yeah! I thought I'd introduce myself to you! I'm Tsukihiko, nice to meet you! What's your name?" he asked._

_"...Azami." I responded after a long pause. So his name was Tsukihiko... His smile widened when I answered him. He was about to reply, but he must have heard the whispers of our classmates._

_"Why is the transfer student talking to the monster?"_

_"Exactly! Why would he do that? I don't understand!"_

_"Just look at how he _looks_ like! He's also a monster, isn't he?"_

"The both of them are monsters!"

* * *

**Did you like this chapter? Please tell me you did. So yeah, Shintaro and Ayano are a thing now. Officially. Well, at least in this story. The next chapter will be about Azami, who, surprise surprise, is that leader of the gang AZAMI. Remember that in this story, Azami (and Tsukihiko) have nothing to do with Marry's grandparents Azami and Tsukihiko. **

**Again, since this chapter is updated on Christmas Eve, Merry Christmas to you all! For more Christmas presents from me, you can go read Snowdrops (my one-shots for HaruTaka Winter) and Evening Yesterday's new chapter if you haven't already! Please give all these stories a read, review etc. I've used up much time and energy for these chapters to be published, so that would be an amazing present! :)**

**See you!**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	10. 010: Shinigami Record

**I really like this chapter, especially how I described the fight scene. If you watch episode 10 of Mekakucity Actors again you'll probably see what I did there XD By the way, I noticed that I didn't get any reviews for the last chapter. Reviews are just for my readers to tell me what they think of the chapter, not to "gain popularity" or anything. No reviews to me means that nobody liked the chapter enough to comment about it and let the author know, so I'm really worried that the last chapter didn't live up to your expectations and how much I loved it. So maybe give both this chapter and last chapter a review? Thank you :))))**

* * *

The word "monster" has been said so many times around me that I've started to wonder if it's my actual name. Then again, the world hasn't been quite kind to me anyways.

I've been living on the streets since I can remember. I'm an orphan, and my childhood was quite rough. I was always alone.

There was one time where some adults caught me stealing things. They said I was a monster, over and over again, disrupting everyone's daily lives and that I should go die. Then, they threw a torch of fire in my direction. That left a big burn on my back. It never went away, not even after all these years. It constantly reminded me of the pain, and that day.

But a group of thirteen kids around my age came to save me. They all hated adults and had quite a pathetic look on life. We soon became a gang, AZAMI (named after me), with me as their boss. They did pretty much everything I said. I don't know why they stuck to me after all these years. But I finally had... Friends.

AZAMI consisted of 13 people, and we only referred to each other by code names. Conceal, Steal, Deceive, Stare, Combine, Captivate, Open, Retain, Focus, Awaken, Clear, and Favor. Those were our members.

There was only one exception to the rule of code names, and that person was Clear. Kuroha Kokonose. He was our best fighter, and he was very, very skilled. However, he was quite dangerous. He was... _different _from all our other members. It felt like he could _kill _to get what he wanted.

I only had these friends; nobody would come close to me during my days at school. Everyone except one single boy I encountered during my senior year. And that boy became the love of my life.

Tsukihiko.

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It was break time. Our class just gained another student; A transfer student from somewhere that I forgot. I didn't care much for him; he was probably going to be another one of all my classmates who thought I was a monster and stayed as far away from me as possible.

"Ah, uh, hello!" Someone spoke from beside me, and judging from his tone, I could tell that he was talking to me. Well, I don't really care, so I'll just ignore-

Wait, he was talking to _me_. Nobody had talked to me ever since... A long time ago. I looked up to see who in the world it was. To my surprise (actually, not really), it was the transfer student. What was his name again? I forgot.

"Are you talking to me?" I couldn't help but ask. He laughed awkwardly.

"U-um, yeah! I thought I'd introduce myself to you! I'm Tsukihiko, nice to meet you! What's your name?" he asked.

"...Azami." I responded after a long pause. So his name was Tsukihiko... His smile widened when I answered him. He was about to reply, but he must have heard the whispers of our classmates.

"Why is the transfer student talking to the monster?"

"Exactly! Why would he do that? I don't understand!"

"Just look at how he _looks_ like! He's also a monster, isn't he?"

"_The both of them are monsters!"_

At those words, I stood up abruptly, my aura full of hatred and anger. My classmates realized that I had heard their conversations and quickly turned away. I sat down and sighed. It's not like I'm not used to being called a monster, but what about Tsukihiko...? He can't possibly have the same past as me. He wouldn't be used to it. I glanced at him and noticed that he was laughing awkwardly, but not looking uncomfortable.

"Could you show me around the school, Azami?" asked Tsukihiko.

"No honorifics already?" I said, standing up. Tsukihiko looked a little frantic.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Azami...-san?" he said. I sighed and smiled a bit.

"Just Azami is fine. Let's go now..." and at this I blushed a bit. "Tsukihiko." His face broke into a smile and he followed me out of the classroom.

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"But it's really a weird time that you're transferring in..." I said. "There's only a few days until graduation." Tsukihiko laughed. We were walking around the school to let him take a look at what the school was like.

"Yeah, I know." he said. "There were sudden changes, so we had to move! But I'm happy to be here!"

"Is that so..." I said.

"You've asked me questions about myself, now it's my turn! Tell me about you, Azami!" he said. I blinked.

"Me?" I asked. What is there to say? Tsukihiko nodded.

"Yep, you! I want to know more about Azami!" he said.

"There really isn't anything to say..." I said. Seeing that Tsukihiko didn't buy that, I sighed. "I'm... Part of a gang. It's named after me. I've been part of it ever since I was little." I paused. "You're probably going to shun me like the rest of our classmates now. I'm a monster, a lonely monster." I closed my eyes, waiting for the worst.

"Why would I shun you? Azami, you're not a monster. Even if you were, you'd be a beautiful monster, and I've fallen in love with the lonely monster." said Tsukihiko. I looked up immediately, and I saw that he was smiling. My cheeks heated up and I looked away. Was that... A confession? It can't be. We've just met. He can't possibly...

"W-well, there's also another gang that we're at constant battle with. The Blindfold Gang. They've got ten people, eleven if you count the girl Ayano who's always with them yet isn't part of them. See? That's them over them." I pointed to a group of eleven teenagers. Today, that Ayano girl had joined them as well, so there eleven of them instead of ten.

"Are you serious?!" Momo had yelled. "Are you saying my pathetic excuse of a brother confessed to you, Ayano-chan?!" Ayano laughed.

"He's not pathetic, Momo-chan. Shintaro is really kind to me, and I really love him!" she said. Shintaro's face heated up and he quickly turned away. Ene smirked and poked him.

"Uwah~!" she said. Shintaro swatted her hand away.

"I'M DYING YOU TWO ARE FINALLY TOGETHER AND THAT'S LIKE SO CUTE OH MY GOD-" Actor yelled.

"You're acting like a crazy fangirl." said Hibiya.

Tsukihiko couldn't help but laugh at the scene.

"That's pretty cool!" said Tsukihiko. There was a small silence.

"Do you have a place to stay? You said you just moved here, so..." I trailed off. Tsukihiko laughed sheepishly.

"Actually, I don't..." he said. I sighed.

"You can stay at my place for a while, if you'd like. We've got spare rooms. It's a big base." I said. Tsukihiko's face lit up.

"Could I? Thank you!" he said. I turned away, blushing.

"Y-Yeah, no problem."

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We walked to walked to the AZAMI base, Tsukihiko rambling on about many things while I listened and led the way. Just like how the Blindfold Gang called their base "Apartment 107" (usually just "107" for short), we called our base the "Heat Haze". It was quite a big place, as it had to be to be able to fit 13 people. Finally, we arrived, and to my surprise, there was a girl lying on the doorstep.

"Azami," asked Tsukihiko. "Is it just me, or is there a girl lying there?" We walked up to her, and my eyes widened. This was Marry Kozakura, NO.4 of the Blindfold Gang. And more surprisingly, she was unconscious and covered with wounds.

"She's hurt!" exclaimed Tsukihiko. He quickly picked her up. I quickly opened the door and we walked in. Tsukihiko set her on the couch and looked around.

"You have a first-aid kit, right?" he asked. I nodded, and without another word I went to get it. I returned with it in my hands and I handed it to him. Tsukihiko did some simple tending to her wounds rather skillfully. Just as Tsukihiko finished tending her wounds, Marry opened her eyes, regaining consciousness.

"Grandma...?" she murmured. I felt a vein pop. _That _was her first words once seeing me? Was she implying...? Did I really...? I grabbed the girl's collar in anger.

"What are you trying to say, you bastard-" Tsukihiko quickly pulled me off, restraining me.

"C-Calm down, Azami! I'm sure she didn't mean anything!" he said.

"Let go of me, Tsukihiko! Before I punch you as well!" I yelled. Marry, after a few seconds of thinking, realized what I meant and she quickly shook her head.

"No, no, that's not what I meant!" she said quickly. "You just remind me of my grandmother, that's all! She looked like you when she was young." I relaxed and sighed. Tsukihiko, seeing I wasn't going to rush up and punch Marry, let go of me.

"Your names are Azami and Tsukihiko?" asked Marry. We nodded. She smiled at us. "Thank you for saving me! And my grandparents were also called Azami and Tsukihiko! What a coincidence!"

"That's so cool!" said Tsukihiko. "It's really an amazing coincidence!" Marry smiled, but that smile soon disappeared.

"Sadly, they died a few years ago... My grandfather of illness and my grandmother of sadness. I really miss them..." she said. She looked close to crying. I sighed.

"Well, if it helps, you can always come and talk to me. Not that I'll be taking your grandmother's place or anything like that, but since I have the same name and I look like her, you can treat me like how you treated your grandmother. If that doesn't help, then just forget-"

"Can I really? Thank you, Azami!" said Marry, her face breaking into a huge smile. "Ah, I should get going! My friends would be so worried! Thank you for treating my wounds!" Tsukihiko smiled.

"No problem! See you, Marry!" he said. Marry nodded and gave a little bow. Just as she was about to get up, the door opened and Kuroha walked in. As the two saw each other, they both sported different expressions. Kuroha simply raised his eyebrows, and Marry looked so scared, as if she had just seen a serial killer.

"What's the Queen doing here?" asked Kuroha.

"She was on our doorsteps, wounded, so we brought her in and treated her wounds." I replied.

"K-Ku-Kuroha-!?" Marry squeaked, sliding towards the end of the couch, as far away from him as possible. Kuroha sighed.

"Relax, I'm not going to kill you or anything." he said. "Our boss here wouldn't allow it." There was a silence after Kuroha's words and Marry let the words sink in.

"Eh!?" she said, looking back to forth between me and Kuroha. "AZAMI's boss... Eh? Eh?!" Kuroha burst into laughter.

"She didn't know?! Wow, I knew you guys were dumb but I didn't think you were _that _dumb!" he said, between laughs.

"Shut up, Kuroha, you're already mentally damaging her by standing in front of her." I said.

"Wow, you sound like an over-protective grandmother. You certainly _look_ old enough for the part-" In a flash, I was next to him, holding him up by the collar.

"Did you say anything, kid?" I asked, my expression murderous. Kuroha coughed and shook his head.

"No...thing..." he said. I sighed and let go of him. Enough grabbing people by the collars for today.

"Marry, just to clarify, yes, I am the boss of AZAMI, and I do know that you're part of the Blindfold Gang. But that doesn't matter. I wasn't targeting you or your friends. And if this guy terrifies the shit out of you, you can leave. I'll watch him to make sure he doesn't do anything." I said to Marry. She relaxed and nodded. She got up from the couch and headed to the door. But before she left, she turned to, to my surprise, Kuroha.

"Um, I have a question..." she said, her voice quiet and squeaky.

"Then ask away." said Kuroha.

"Do you... Do you like Actor?" she asked. Marry's question caught Kuroha off guard and his eyes widened. But only for a second, and he smiled slyly.

"Perhaps." he said. Although that wasn't a concrete answer, I was surprised. I knew Kuroha, and I've known him for a long time. That answer was a definite _yes_. If he didn't deny it, then it's definitely a _yes_. But who was Actor, anyways? Marry accepted that answer, and after a hasty bow, she left.

"Hey, who's Actor?" I asked.

"I don't have to tell you." said Kuroha. "Who's that kid over there?" He gestured towards Tsukihiko.

"Be respectful to your seniors." I said. Kuroha rolled his eyes. "He's Tsukihiko, and he's going to stay here for the night. He just moved here and he hasn't got a place to stay."

"Nice to meet you, Kuroha-kun." said Tsukihiko, smiling. Kuroha nodded.

"'Sup. And if there isn't anything else you need, I'm leaving." he said, walking to his room. I sighed.

"Sorry, Kuroha's always like that." I said. Tsukihiko laughed.

"No, that's fine! I think he's pretty cool!" he said. "Be sure to introduce me to your other members!"

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I let Tsukihiko stay at the Heat Haze until he finds somewhere else to stay. We were nearing graduation now, which meant that I would not be part of AZAMI anymore in a matter of days. I was saying goodbye to a gang and a group of friends that accompanied me throughout my childhood and my darkest times. I had to hand off my position as boss of AZAMI, so I called for a group meeting after school. I invited Tsukihiko to attend this meeting as well, but he said he had to go somewhere so he couldn't.

Now, I was facing the gang that I've lead for many, many years now, retiring from the leader position and leaving them on their own.

"I'm not good with words, so I'll keep this speech short." I said. "You guys have been the only ones who have stood by my side, and you cannot imagine how thankful I am. You guys practically saved my life, and even though I'm retiring from being leader and from this gang, I'm not asking for this gang to die. So I'm going to choose the next boss of AZAMI now."

"Have you decided already?" asked Combine. I nodded. I've considered making Combine the next boss, and it was a hard decision. But I've made up my mind.

"Yeah. AZAMI's next boss... Will be Kuroha." I said. Nobody looked surprised; I guess it was obvious that Kuroha would be our next leader. He _is_ our best fighter, after all. It's clear to everyone that he can lead the rest of our members well, and he's pretty much been in the second-in-command position.

"...Well then, great." said Kuroha, breaking the silence. Just as I was about to speak, my phone rang. I took it out of my pocket and saw that it was a text from an unknown number. I narrowed my eyes. I had a bad feeling about this. Also, I was worried about Tsukihiko, since he hadn't come back yet. Everyone else crowed around me to look at the text, seeing that I had a scary expression on my face and obviously not pleased that someone has interrupted our hand-off 'ceremony'. I clicked open the text and read it.

"'If you want your albino little boyfriend, come to the alleyway beside the game center. Regards, Laughing Circus.'" read Open. Her eyes narrowed.

"Laughing Circus is a new gang apparently. They want to rise to the top. I heard they've already targeted the Blindfold Gang." said Favor. My eyes widened in revelation. They were the people that had hurt Marry. I clenched my fists. First Marry, now Tsukihiko. I'm going to crush them. No, we're going to crush them...!

That was when I realized I had no right to command and lead them anymore. I had just handed off the position of boss of AZAMI. Kuroha was now the leader. I had no power over my 'snakes', as they called themselves, I've lost all the power to Kuroha.

"What do we do, Azami?" asked Captivate. I looked away.

"I'm not your boss anymore, remember? Kuroha now is. He has the power of commanding you all to do whatever he wants. I'm not your leader anymore..." I said. Everyone was silent, until Kuroha yawned.

"What, you're worried about something like that, Azami? You want me to command them on this mission? Well, I don't want to." I looked up at him at his words. "That's not my job now. It's yours."

"Exactly! Until the second you graduate from high school, you're still our boss!" said Stare. I couldn't help but smile and wipe away the tears of happiness. I set my face into a serious expression, and walked towards the door.

"Let's go. We, AZAMI, accept the duel of Laughing Circus."

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"Well, well, that took you some time, AZAMI. I thought you wouldn't come. I had thought you would be a bunch of cold bastards, but I guess I was wrong." said the leader of Laughing Circus the moment we showed up at the alleyway. There were four of them, but who knows if there'll be more?

"Welcome, welcome, to our little party. Let's meet the host of this amazing party, shall we?" The leader stepped aside to reveal a horribly beaten up Tsukihiko. He was leaning against the side of the alleyway, with his eyes closed. For a horrible second I thought he wasn't breathing, but then I realized that he still was. I glared at our opposing gang.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked coldly, knowing the answer to my question even before they answered it.

"To rise to the top, of course. Your gang and the Blindfold Gang are at the top currently. If we defeat you even just once, we'll obviously get known." said the leader. I clenched my fists.

"Concealing Eyes." I said. With my order, Conceal up to Laughing Circus without a word, grabbed one of the members by the shoulders and threw him into the distance.

"Opening Eyes." Open gave a beautiful kick to another member's side of the abdomen and sent him sprawling onto the floor a few feet away.

"Deceiving Eyes." Deceive punched the remaining two members in the face. The other two that Conceal and Open had delivered blows to stood up once more and tried to attack Deceive.

"Captivating Eyes." Captivate ran up to them and grabbed the back of the two's heads.

"Hey~, look this way~!" she said playfully before crashing their heads into each other. One of the two that Deceive had punched in the face stood up, wiping away blood from his face, ready to attack. But I was faster.

"Combining Eyes."The queen of our fighters, Combine, was standing in front of the guy in a matter of seconds. Her aura alone made him petrified. He sank to his knees, trembling.

"Oh, I didn't even do anything yet. How disappointing." she said, twirling her hair around her fingers.

"Stealing Eyes." Steal immediately ran to Tsukihiko, making sure he was alright.

"Awakening Eyes." Awaken, with his superhuman speed, ran up to the three members that were getting up once more, and punched them in the stomach.

"Staring Eyes." Stare went and threw two members of Laughing Circus who were already unconscious against a wall.

"Focusing Eyes." Focus ran out of the alleyway and around the area, looking for other members of Laughing Circus that might still be out there.

"Retaining Eyes." Retain went up to the members of Laughing Circus that we had beat and took a picture of them with his phone so we could remember who our enemy was.

"Favoring Eyes." Favor walked up to the member that had been kneeling because of Combine's aura. She brought her palm down sharply onto his cheek. She crouched down in front of him.

"That's not very cool, you know, kidnapping Azami's precious Tsukihiko-san like that. That's not very cool. Do you know what can happen to you now? We can easily make your gang crumble, now that you've angered us. Do you understand?" she said, smiling. She looked happy, but her voice suggested otherwise. It was at times like these that Favor was the scariest.

"Clearing Eyes." I concluded. Kuroha smiled, and he cracked his knuckles. He approached the remaining member.

"No.. No.. No-!" he yelled as Kuroha walked towards him. He got up with much trouble and tried to bolt past me. I reached out and grabbed his neck. I pinned him to a wall, holding him up from the ground.

"Did you think we'd let you off that easily?" I asked, my expression murderous.

"I-I'm so-sorry!" he screamed. I narrowed my eyes.

"Don't say sorry to me, although you should. Say sorry to Tsukihiko, and swear on your heart that you will never attack him ever again." I said.

"I-I'm sorry, Tsukihiko-san! I will not attack you ever again!" he managed to get out. Satisfied, I loosened my grip on his neck and dropped him.

"Good. Now leave, and never appear in my sight ever again. Bring your friends with you." With those words, he scrambled to his feet. Dragging his friends by their hoods, he pulled them away. The moment they left, I ran to Tsukihiko.

He was completely battered, his hair was messed up and his clothes were ripped in multiple places. There were so many wounds on his face, arms, and legs. They must have hit his head with a blunt object because there had been blood escaping from a wound that was already treated by Steal. My gang quietly left me alone with Tsukihiko, knowing we needed some alone time. I silently thanked them for that. Despite all the torture he had suffered from, Tsukihiko gave me a weak smile. That made my eyes tear up even more.

"You idiot...!" I said, tears rolling down my cheeks. "If only you hadn't talked to me! If only you hadn't met me, then you wouldn't have been in such pain...!"

"Azami." I looked up at the mention of my name. Tsukihiko had a serious expression on his face.

"I chose to talk to you. I chose to become friends with you, and I'm not going to ever regret that. I am not going to regret the fact that I met you. Meeting you is the best thing that happened to me, so why will I regret it?" he said. His words touched me. Nobody has ever said anything like that to me. I've always heard adults and classmates say I'm a monster, someone not worth their time and that I brought trouble to the world. I've always... Wanted someone to say that to me...!

"I said I needed to go somewhere after school, didn't I?" asked Tsukihiko. I nodded. "I went to the arcade. I saw it the other day and I wanted to give this to you." He presented to me a stuffed animal of a snake. It was black in color, and it had red eyes. From my descriptions it would like evil and scary, but in reality it was extremely cute. I took it from him and studied it for a while. I smiled.

"Azami, I love you." he said suddenly. I looked up, my cheeks already turning into the color of tomatoes. "I've loved you ever since I saw you in the classroom on my first day here." I kept silent, playing with my new present since I was too embarrassed to respond. When the embarrassment subsided, I looked up at him.

"I love you too, Tsukihiko."

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

The days flew by, and soon came the graduation ceremony. It's crazy how I was a senior one day, and I was going to go into the society as an adult the next. The graduation ceremony was nothing of my interest; it was just a bunch of speeches from the students I didn't really care for. I forced myself to sit through the ceremony without falling asleep. To my relief, it ended earlier than I expected and we were allowed to leave. We were leaving the place that had been our home for four years.

The moment I walked out of the auditorium, Marry ran up to me.

"Congratulations on graduating, Azami!" she said. I smiled. Marry was really a good girl and I liked her. She was quite easy to talk to and she had been a good companion.

"Thanks, Marry." I said, patting her head. She smiled.

"Is she your friend, Marry?" asked a boy who came up to us. I recognized him as Kousuke Seto, NO.2 of the Blindfold Gang. Marry looked a bit panicky.

"Um, yeah! She's my friend!" she said.

"What's your name?" he asked me.

"Azami." I responded. Marry gave me a shocked look, and I shrugged. I didn't care that he knew my name, since I was no longer part of my gang. Seto seemed to think for a while, and his face lit up.

"Hi, Azami! My name is Kousuke Seto! Nice to meet you!" he said, extending a hand towards me. I raised an eyebrow as I took his hand. How stupid could these guys get?

"We have to go now, see you again, Azami!" said Marry. The two of them then walked off, laughing and talking with each other. I sighed. Young love. How nice.

"Azami!" I turned around and saw Tsukihiko. "Let's take a picture together!" He held his phone up. I did my best attempt at a smile.

"Hey, Azami, could you come with me to the jewelry store? My dad wanted me to get the ring he reserved." he asked. I nodded.

"I don't see why not." I replied. Tsukihiko smiled.

"Great! Then let's go!" he said, taking my hand. We took the subway to the jewelry shop. Tsukihiko held my hand the whole time. I smiled. I really did love Tsukihiko a lot, and I treasured him. We soon came to the shop and he went to the counter and requested the ring he had reserved. The saleslady nodded and got it out of the back. He took the small box in his hands and turned to me. Then, to my total surprise, he knelt down on one knee and presented the ring to me. I covered my mouth with my hands, completely shocked.

"Azami," he said, his voice full of love and kindness. "We'll be stepping into the society from now on. I wish to be alongside you from now on, no matter what. Will you marry me?" For a moment, I was too surprised to say anything. I nodded and nodded, and he stood up. He put the ring on my finger and he held my hand.

"I'll do my best to make you happy every day." he said, smiling. "Let's live our lives together from now on." I smiled back.

"Then I'll trust my happiness with you." I replied.

* * *

**_Chapter 11: Ene's Cyber Journey_**

_"Ene!" yelled Actor, bursting through the door and running up to the gang, who were sitting on the rooftop having lunch. Ene looked up from her sandwich at her twin sister, who was now panting._

_"What's the rush, Actor?" asked Ene. Actor's eyes were suddenly filled with tears as she looked at Ene's smiling face, and she quickly threw her arms around her sister and cried. Ene was not the only one who was surprised; the whole gang had widened their eyes and stopped what they were doing. They gathered around Actor, who was now full-on bawling._

_"A-Actor! Are you okay?" asked Ene, shocked. Actor gave no response. Konoha picked Actor's phone that had dropped out of her hands. He took one glance at the screen and his eyes widened._

_"Ene." he only said before shakily handing her the phone. Ene took the phone and looked at it. It was a text. From her parents. Her eyes narrowed once she saw who had sent it, even before reading the contents. Something from her parents never meant anything good._

_The message was simply, yet enough to make Ene's world crumble at her feet._

_"Your grandmother died. We're coming back for the funeral."_

* * *

**How was this chapter? The way Tsukihiko proposed to Azami is based off a true event I saw on Weibo, and I thought it was just so cute! Give me a review to let me know how you liked this chapter or how it could be fixed, and maybe give last chapter a review too! :D I hope my readers are still sticking to this chapter, because I have so many good things planned out XDD Thanks for reading!**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	11. 011: Ene's Cyber Journey

**A fast update, woohoo! I'm planning for this story to end in around August or so, it'd be amazing if it could end on August 15th! Thank you so much for sticking with this story, I know I've said this a million times, but I love all my readers and I want to thank you for your support. I hope this story and this chapter has (or will) entertain you, and please enjoy!**

* * *

Takane's grandmother had been with her ever since she was young.

Since her parents never really cared for her (they loved Actor more than her, anyways), Takane spent most of her days with her grandmother. All her weekends and even some of her weekdays, she would spend time at her grandmother's house.

Her grandmother was a very kind woman in her 70s who definitely did not act someone of her age. She was fun and full of new ideas, and she was the coolest grandmother Takane had ever known. She would support Takane no matter what, and she would stand by her side when nobody did. Her cooking was terribly amazing, and Takane could eat three bowls of what her grandmother cooked even when she was on a diet.

Takane's grandmother was very upbeat and enthusiastic about everything; she was happy everyday no matter what, and she had a great attitude towards life. Takane envied her grandmother for being able to feel that way. She definitely couldn't. Takane herself was quite pessimistic and dreaded many things.

Her grandmother had been with her for such a long time, and she definitely loved her more than her own parents. Takane never thought she would ever have to part with her, yet what she hoped was almost never the case.

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"Ene!" yelled Actor, bursting through the door and running up to the gang, who were sitting on the rooftop having lunch. Ene looked up from her sandwich at her twin sister, who was now panting.

"What's the rush, Actor?" asked Ene. Actor's eyes were suddenly filled with tears as she looked at Ene's smiling face, and she quickly threw her arms around her sister and cried. Ene was not the only one who was surprised; the whole gang had widened their eyes and stopped what they were doing. They gathered around Actor, who was now full-on bawling.

"A-Actor! Are you okay?" asked Ene, shocked. Actor gave no response. Konoha picked Actor's phone that had dropped out of her hands. He took one glance at the screen and his eyes widened.

"Ene." he only said before shakily handing her the phone. Ene took the phone and looked at it. It was a text. From her parents. Her eyes narrowed once she saw who had sent it, even before reading the contents. Something from her parents never meant anything good.

The message was simple, yet enough to make Ene's world crumble at her feet.

"Your grandmother died. We're coming back for the funeral."

The phone dropped out of her hand. By now, Actor had calmed down and she let go of Ene. The twins stared at each other for a while until Ene stood up abruptly and walked back into the building.

"Where are you going, Ene?" asked Konoha.

"I'm leaving." she said, not even looking back. Actor sighed.

"I can't believe this is happening..." she murmured.

"Where did Ene go? She said she was leaving, but..." Momo trailed off.

"She's probably going to skip the afternoon classes. I don't know if she's going back to the base or not." said Actor.

"Was Ene... Really close to her grandmother?" asked Marry shakily. Actor gave a dry laugh.

"Close couldn't describe their relationship. Since our parents didn't care for Ene, she'd have to stay with our grandmother. She was pretty much the only adult she trusted." she said. Marry's eyes filled with tears.

"That's... So sad..." she said, sniffing.

"I wasn't as close with Grandma as Ene, but she was really kind to me. I still can't believe it..." said Actor.

"I can't believe it either..." said Konoha. "She treated me just as nicely as if I were her own grandson..."

"Why don't you both cancel classes and head back? I don't think you can still listen to the teacher ramble on and on in this kind of situation." said Shintaro.

"Yeah..."

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Despite everything the Gang said and did to try to convince them, Actor and Konoha decided to still go to school the next day.

"I'll be fine, honestly." said Actor, smiling. "Everything's going to be fine!" However, her words sounded as if she was trying to reassure herself instead of the rest of the gang. Ene, however, didn't want to go to school, but it was understandable.

Actor arrived at her classroom and after putting her things down, she sat down. The moment she sat down next to him, the chuunibyou emo stopped texting and turned to look at her.

"Why weren't you in the afternoon classes yesterday?" asked Kuroha.

"Do I have to inform you of everything I do?" Actor shot back bitterly. She didn't have time to deal with _this_ person today. "It's not like I can't skip classes or anything."

"But there's a reason for it this time, isn't there?" asked Kuroha. His voice was very serious. After a moment of silence, Actor sighed.

"...My grandmother died." she said, looking away. When she turned to look at Kuroha, to take on his usual harsh and teasing words, her eyes widened.

A single tear rolled down Kuroha's cheek.

Kuroha was crying.

The moment he realized it, he turned away.

Seeing Kuroha cry scared Actor terribly. He never showed any sign of weakness, at least never to her. She had never seen him look sad, or much less cry. He was always sinister, proud, and teasing. He was Kuroha. _Kuroha_. He never... _cried_.

"W-Why are _you _crying?" asked Actor, so surprised that she had stuttered and started to tear up herself. "I-It's not like you knew her or anything!"

"I knew her." Kuroha's quiet yet firm response surprised her greatly. "I knew her."

They sat through the classes without saying anything to each other, the both of them caught in their own thoughts.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

The funeral was not a grand one. Both Ene and Actor attended, along with their parents, who specifically said that Haruka Kokonose was not allowed to come. That angered both Ene and Actor greatly, but they couldn't do anything. Despite the fact that Konoha had said it was alright, the twins knew that deep down, he really wanted to go and send her off.

On the day of the funeral, a bouquet of flowers were delivered to Actor for her grandmother. The card read: "Thank you for the cookies. Kuroha." Actor was surprised, but she decided not to say much. It was obvious that whatever had happened between Kuroha and her grandmother, no matter it was happy or sad, Kuroha did not want to bring up.

The moment Ene and Actor entered the hall, they saw their parents. Ene's expression immediately darkened as they walked over to them.

"It's nice to see you, Actor." said their mother. There was a silence before she added: "And you too, Ene."

"Hi, Mom." Actor replied, while Ene simply nodded to acknowledge their existence. Their mother sighed.

"The funeral will start in a few minutes." she said. Then, she seemed to notice the flowers. "Who are the flowers from?"

"Kuroha Kokonose." said Actor. "He knew Grandma too." Their mother's face was unreadable.

"That's not the disabled one, is he?" she asked. Ene's eyes narrowed and Actor clenched her fists.

"No, he's not, Mother." she replied.

"Alright then, we'll accept the flowers." she said, reaching out to take them. Actor drew back.

"I think I'll hold on to them for now." she said.

"If you say so. I need to head over there to check on some things." Without another word, their mother left. She approached their father.

"I have my doubts about the flowers from the Kokonoses. There still might be bits of that contagious illness that _that Kokonose boy _has. We can't take any chances." The twins heard her say. Actor was now clenching her fist so hard that it was shaking. She was about to walk up to=her parents and give them a piece of her mind, but Ene grabbed her hand and held her back. She gave her a look that meant "not today". Actor sighed.

"It's starting soon, isn't it? Our last goodbyes to Grandma..."

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Ene was not someone who dealt with grief well. After the funeral, Ene shut herself in her room and refused to come out. Apparently, she was living off the cup noodles she had stored in there. The gang had tried to convince her to come out, but she had refused and nothing could be done.

Everyone was terribly worried about her. They thought endlessly about how to cheer her up, but since Ene refused to come out of her room, they didn't have any chance to talk to her. Even Actor was forbidden to enter the room she was sharing with Ene.

"Why are you guys looking so worn out?" asked Mangetsu Katsuragi, who had approached the Gang in the hallways. They (the Gang, excluding Shintaro) looked at each other in surprise. They never thought someone like Mangetsu Katsuragi, the queen bee, would come and talk to them. They were the well-known gang of their school and nobody would talk to them in fear of getting beaten up, and she was the social butterfly. They were two polar opposite existences.

"Ene's grandmother died and she wouldn't come out of her room." Shintaro replied. "Got any ideas on how we can cheer her up, Mangetsu?" The rest of the gang shot him a look of surprise. They never thought Shintaro would talk so casually to someone so high up in the social pyramid either. But they _did _see them together around the time Ayano had stayed unconscious due to falling from the rooftop. There must be a story there that Shintaro never bothered to explain. Shintaro looked back at them, shrugging.

"Enomoto-san?" said Mangetsu to nobody in particular.

"Yes?" asked Actor immediately on reflex. Realizing that Mangetsu wasn't talking to her and that she had responded on impulse, she looked away awkwardly. Mangetsu tried to hide her laughter with a cough.

"Sorry, I found that really amusing." she said, seeing that her quick cover didn't fool anybody. "But why not consult Tateyama-san? She's Eno- I mean, Ene-san's friend too, so she might have a different view on things and she might offer some of her thoughts."

"How didn't we think of that?!" exclaimed Momo. She turned to Shintaro. "How didn't _you _think of that, Onii-chan?! You're her boyfriend!" Shintaro's cheeks turned to the color of heroes even though he and Ayano been going out for a while now. Mangetsu blinked, then laughed.

"I haven't congratulated you yet, have I, Kisaragi-kun? You've finally gotten Tateyama-san! Congratulations!" she said.

"T-Thanks, I guess." said Shintaro. Mangetsu took a sip from the can of orange juice she held and smiled.

"Well then, I'll be off! Good luck to you guys and see you around!" she said, waving.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"I knew there was something going on!" said Ayano, the moment Shintaro finished explaining everything. "Poor Ene! Why didn't you tell me earlier, Shintaro?" Everyone's gazes turned towards Shintaro, who shifted uncomfortably.

"...I didn't want to get you too worried." he said. Ayano sighed.

"I appreciate that, Shintaro, but next time you have to tell me! How long did you plan to leave me in the dark? Anyways, we've got to cheer Ene up!" she said. She thought for a while before her eyes brightened up.

"Oh! We definitely need to make sure if she's alright in her room! And I'm guessing she'll be on her computer for most of the time, so check the browsing history to see if you can communicate to her in any other form! How's that?" said Ayano.

That was why the Gang decided to sneak into her room to make sure she was alright. They waited until Ene was asleep (she took naps often now), and Actor used a hairpin to pick the lock. She also guessed Ene's computer password in one try, which was "senkounomaihime". They checked Ene's browser history, and found that she was on a chat board for DEAD BULLET -1989- quite a lot. And that's when they got the idea.

"We're going to make an account on the chat board and talk to Ene. Try to cheer her up, and get her out of the shadows." said Actor. Konoha nodded.

"Sounds good." he said.

"The first step is creating an account, which is the easy part." said Shintaro. Everyone sat at the table, crowding around Shintaro, who was filling in the account information on his computer.

"What do we want to call ourselves? We can't make it that obvious, since she'll figure out it's us and things might end up bad." asked Kido. Everyone thought for a while.

"Oh, I know! Let's name ourselves "Aoi"! It sounds like a real name, it's simple, and that's Ene's color!" said Momo. Seeing that nobody had any objections, Shintaro typed in "Aoi" as their username. They were now logged in as Aoi. They sent a friend request to Ene, whose in-game name was also Ene, which made things much easier.

To their surprise, Ene accepted the friend request in a matter of seconds. She must have woken up from her nap.

"Now, how is Aoi going to act?" asked Shintaro. "I set this account as female so that Ene might let her guard down since there aren't many girls that play this game."

"I think she should be really cute and sweet and innocent, but when we talk about serious things she'd be able to offer some serious help. That's probably someone who wouldn't make Ene angry with questions, and can also help solve her problems." The gang looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

_Aoi: hi there! nice to meet you, ene-san (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ__*)o)))_

Within seconds, Ene replied. The gang gave each other quiet high fives.

_Ene: hey_

_Aoi: im just a newbie so im still really bad at this (＞人＜__;)_

_Ene: naw its ok_

_Ene: if there's anything you dont know you can always ask me_

_Aoi: thank you ene! youre so kind :)))_

_Ene: naw no problem_

_Ene: so what made you pick up this game_

_Aoi: well my friend actually introduced it to me_

_Ene: must be a really nice friend youve got :)_

_Aoi: im sure youve got really nice friends too ene_

_Aoi: friends that listen to you no matter what and can make you laugh when youre happy and can be there for you when youre sad_

Ene didn't reply immediately. "Was that too straightforward?" asked Momo, worried. Before anyone could answer her, Ene replied on the web chat.

_Ene: yeah i do theyre really good people_

_Aoi: ah im glad_

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

The Gang kept talking to Ene as Aoi, hoping that she would bring up the topic of her grandmother or something that led to it herself. They didn't want to bring something up like that themselves.

_Ene: you have a lot of spare time on your hands dont you aoi_

_Ene: wont your parents yell at you if youre on the computer too much_

That was the perfect time to lead to the topic of her grandmother! The gang looked at each other in excitement.

_Aoi: what about your parents ene?_

_Aoi: do they yell at you?_

There was an obvious pause in Ene's typing, but she quickly responded.

_Ene: my parents are actually huge bitches_

_Ene: they hate me so they dont care for me_

_Ene: those bitches_

_Aoi: oh... ((((；ﾟ__Дﾟ__)))))))_

_Aoi: but im sure they still care about you...?_

_Aoi: theyre your parents after all_

_Ene: naw_

_Ene: i know them best_

_Ene: theyve never cared about me_

_Aoi: oh ((((；ﾟ__Дﾟ__)))))))_

_Aoi: do your other relatives care about you then?_

Ene didn't reply for a few minutes. She was obviously thinking about her grandmother.

"Should we really be doing this?" asked Hibiya. "She's obviously in pain right now." Actor sighed and ran a hand through her messy hair.

"We have to. She'll sink deeper into despair the other way." she said. Shintaro nodded in agreement.

"If we don't do something, she'll break." he said.

"But, even so-"

"Um," a soft voice interrupted their words. It was Marry. She pointed at the screen. "Ene-chan replied." The gang quickly turned their attention back to the chat.

_Ene: yeah well my grandmother was really nice to me_

_Aoi: thats great! ヾ__(＠⌒ー⌒＠__)ノ_

_Aoi: im sure she really cared for you_

_Ene: yeah_

_Ene: yeah she did_

_Ene: she would comfort me when nobody did_

_Ene: and her words would calm me down when im mad_

_Ene: i really miss her_

_Aoi: what happened? ∑(ﾟ__Дﾟ__)_

_Ene: she_

_Ene: she_

_Ene: how should i put this_

_Ene: she died_

_Ene: a few days ago_

_Aoi: ∑(ﾟ__Дﾟ__)_

_Aoi: Σ（ﾟ__дﾟ__lll）_

_Aoi: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻_

_Aoi: im so sorry!_

_Ene: its ok_

_Ene: its not your fault_

_Aoi: im sure you were really sad_

_Aoi: im so so sorry_

_Ene: its ok_

The conversation stopped for a second. To everyone's surprise, Ene started to type furiously. Her words flew across the screen so fast that they had to scroll up to read everything she had written.

_Ene: i was really close with my grandmother_

_Ene: she stood on my side when nobody did_

_Ene: i just cant believe shes now just_

_Ene: gone_

_Ene: its horrible_

_Ene: i feel horrible_

_Ene: its like somethings missing from my life_

_Ene: i just keep thinking why wasnt i nicer to her_

_Ene: i regret all the mean things ive ever said_

_Ene: all the bad things ive ever done_

_Ene: i hate this_

_Ene: i hate all of this_

_Ene: why did this happen to me_

_Ene: why did this happen to her_

_Ene: why_

_Ene: it feels like its my fault she didnt live happily every day_

_Ene: im just a horrible person_

Everyones' hearts clenched with pain. They couldn't believe Ene felt that way. The gang didn't know what to type back to her. After just a few seconds of silence, Marry snatched the computer and started typing to Ene furiously.

_Aoi: Don't say you're horrible, Ene!_

_Aoi: From what I've heard, your grandmother loved you very much. I'm sure she was happy. I'm sure you gave her that happiness._

_Aoi: Don't think that it's your fault. It's okay to feel sad, I was really sad when my grandparents died. _

_Aoi: I felt the same sadness. I felt the same regret. I've been there, Ene! But it's okay. Everything will be okay._

_Aoi: A friend of mine saved me from the sadness. He made my world so much brighter and saved me. It's okay to rely on your friends when you're sad._

_Aoi: That's what friends are for! They can comfort you! You can trust them! So... Cheer up!_

Everyone was quite surprised at Marry's actions and words. They waited for Ene to reply, and to their utmost shock and horror, she didn't. She went offline and exited the chat room. The whole gang started to panic.

"Was that too straightforward?" said Actor.

"Did we make her mad?" said Momo, biting on the nail of her thumb.

"What are we going to do?!" said Hibiya, panicking. Their words were cut off by the noise of a door opening from the end of the hall. Their eyes widened. They turned around and saw Ene standing before them.

"Sorry for making you guys worried. I'm fine now!" she said, a bright smile on her face. It was the usual Ene.

Ene's long, long cyber journey has ended.

* * *

_**Chapter 12: Yobanashi Deceive**_

_"Oh my god, I can't believe there was a fucking fire!" said Momo. "I always thought that fire drills were useless and that our school would never catch on fire!"_

_"Obviously not anymore." said Hibiya dryly. Ene sighed._

_"What is this..." she muttered. "I should have stayed home." Actor nodded in agreement. I looked around, suddenly realizing that we were one member short from our full group. There were ten of us gathered together right now, and since Aya-nee was with us, we were supposed to be a group of eleven. My eyes widened._

_"...Where's Kido?" I asked. Everyone looked around and realized that she wasn't with us._

_"I thought she was with you, Kano!" said Seto. My eyes widened. Could it be..._

_She was still inside the fire?!_

_"Hey, Kano, where are you going?!" shouted Shintaro the minute I started running towards the building._

_"There's still a fire in the building!" said Marry, sounding extremely worried._

_"I'm sure Kido will manage in there-" I cut Hibiya's words off._

_"Bullshit! How could she ever be fine, she almost fucking died in a fire once!" I yelled, running back into the building, leaving the gang confused and shocked. _

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**I'll have to read a lot of KanoKido stories to get myself into the mood for it. I've never been great with writing for this couple, so if you've got any suggestions please come tell me! As always, please read, review, favorite, follow, or anything of the sort :)))**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	12. 012: Yobanashi Deceive

**I'm not really good with writing KanoKido, even though I love them. I'm sorry if this is OOC anywhere, I just can't grasp their personalities sometimes. ;w; Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy the story!**

* * *

We realized what had happened before the fire alarms rang.

Smoke filled the air. I coughed, trying to get that disgusting smoke out of my lungs. We had English, and Seto and Momo were in my class. We covered our noses and mouths so that we didn't breathe in the smoke, and we lined up at the back of the room, just as we always did during fire drills. The only difference was that this was not a drill; it was a real fire.

We soon got outside onto the field, and we quickly went to find the rest of our gang. Aya-nee was with them as well, thank god.

"Oh my god, I can't believe there was a fucking fire!" said Momo. "I always thought that fire drills were useless and that our school would never catch on fire!"

"Obviously not anymore." said Hibiya dryly. Ene sighed.

"What is this..." she muttered. "I should have stayed home." Actor nodded in agreement. I looked around, suddenly realizing that we were one member short from our full group. There were ten of us gathered together right now, and since Aya-nee was with us, we were supposed to be a group of eleven. My eyes widened.

"...Where's Kido?" I asked. Everyone looked around and realized that she wasn't with us.

"I thought she was with you, Kano!" said Seto.

"You know I didn't have class with her!" I said. "I was with you guys the whole time!" My eyes widened. Could it be...

She was still inside the fire?!

"Hey, Kano, where are you going?!" shouted Shintaro the minute I started running towards the building.

"There's still a fire in the building!" said Marry, sounding extremely worried.

"I'm sure Kido will manage in there-" I cut Hibiya's words off.

"Bullshit! How could she ever be fine, she almost fucking died in a fire once!" I yelled, running back into the building, leaving the gang confused and shocked.

I ran back to the building as fast as I could. Oh, I ran as if my life depended on it. Well, it kind of did. Kido must be really scared. This fire must have brought up memories from a long time ago.

"Kido!" I called, running onto the third floor, which was where the science labs were. Kido's last class was science, so I figured I would start the search there.

I found her sitting on the ground, with the fire burning around her. Her hair was undone, and she was hugging her knees to her chest. There were also burns on her clothes, and on her hands. Her hoodie was placed beside her.

"Kido!" I yelled through the fire. She looked up at me, and my eyes widened. Her eyes were full of tears, and she seemed as though she would break any moment.

"Shuuya..." she choked out. That was the first time she had called me by my first name in many years. My heart twisted in sadness and anger.

"Come out!" I said. "We're all waiting for you outside. Fire trucks are coming, it'll be fine!" I said. Her gaze turned to her right leg.

"My ankle... It's sprained..." she said. "Just go already, Shuuya. I'm destined to disappear from this world in a fire." The whole world seemed to stop as she said this sentence.

"W-What are you talking about?" I asked. Because of my surprise, I stuttered and I started shaking.

"The fire started here, in this lab. When we were lining up, nobody realized I wasn't there. I was stuck here alone, in the fire. Fire had let me live for an extra twelve years now. It spared my life for so long, and now it has come back to take what it should have had." she said. She looked away and closed her eyes, waiting for me to leave her. I stood there, looking at the Kido that looked so vulnerable. I gritted my teeth. This was no longer Leader Kido, "danchou" of the Blindfold Gang. This was Tsubomi Kido, an ordinary girl who was just like any other.

The same Tsubomi Kido I had been in love with for such a long time.

"You idiot!" I couldn't help yelling. I walked into the science lab, ignoring the flames that danced around me and ate at my pant legs. "Did you think I'd just leave you here to die?! Are you crazy?! You're not dying anytime soon!"

"S-Shuuya, what are you doing?!" shouted Kido.

"I'm saving you!" I said. I reached her and I hoisted her up onto my back despite her protests and the sweat that trickled down my neck due to the heat. I grabbed her hoodie and I quickly ran out of the science lab. The fire in the halls were not any better. I tried to keep the smoke from entering my lungs.

"Don't breathe in the smoke." I managed to say to Kido. She nodded and hugged closer. As we ventured down the hall that was slowly burning down, the fire brought back memories from twelve years ago...

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

I lived with my mother in a small apartment near the mansion that the family my mother served owned. We weren't very wealthy, the opposite of that actually. My mother worked very hard as a maid for the wealthy Kido family. The Kidos owned many large corporations, and each of them were proud individuals. The wage my mother earned was enough for us to get by with enough to eat and a roof that shielded us. My mother would return from work at nighttime, and I always waited for her.

But today, she was running late. I was starting to get worried. I heard the sound of the door knob being turned, and I ran down the hall to welcome my mother back. Instead of my mother, I saw two men walk in. They rummaged through the things in the drawers, cursing. They soon found the box my mother kept all her jewelry in. All her luxuries that she kept just in case if we went broke. I balled my fists. These men were taking my mother's things. All of her precious things. I couldn't let that happen.

"Give that back!" I shouted, running at them and yanking the box out of their hands.

"What is this kid?! Where did he come from?!" shouted one of the men, taking the box out of my hands. He took me by the collar of my shirt and threw me against the door. It burst open and I lay there, clutching my head.

"You can't take that!" he said. The other man laughed.

"And who's going to stop us? Go find your precious mommy, boy, and don't bother us." he said.

"And that's my mommy you're stealing from!" I said, gathering up all my strength and standing up. I ran at them, but the four-year-old me was no match against the grown men. I was easily flung back, and my body ached.

"Oh, then that's too bad." he said, taking out a knife from what seemed like out of nowhere. My eyes widened. "It's also too bad that you're not going to live to inform your mommy that we stole her jewelry." He brought the knife down, aiming at my stomach. If I hadn't forced myself to jump out of the way, I would have been dead. The man raised an eyebrow.

"You won't get so lucky next time!" he said, jamming it down a second time. I closed my eyes. I didn't have enough strength to dodge the next one. I was going to die, wasn't I? Sorry, Mom, I wasn't a good enough son. I always broke things, and you would have to pick up after me. I'm sorry I was so bad that you had to hit me, that you had to yell at me.

The pain I had expected did not occur. Instead, I heard the sound of a water gun being fired and the scream of the men. I opened my eyes and saw a girl standing in front of me. She was about the same age as me, and she had shoulder-length dark green hair and... Red eyes. The same ones as mine. In her hands held two water guns, and she looked back at me.

"Run!" she said. I quickly took the box that the men had dropped. I grabbed the girl's hand and we took off. She was a little surprised, but quickly ran as well. We stopped at an alleyway a distance from my home and we caught our breaths. There was an uncomfortable silence between us afterwards.

"Um," I said. "Thanks for saving me." The girl looked away.

"You're welcome." she said softly. I noticed that her clothes were quite fancy, yet there were burns everywhere.

"Uh, that's right! Your name! What's your name? I'm Shuuya Kano!" I said, trying to loosen up the atmosphere.

"Tsubomi." she replied.

"What about your last name?" I asked. She shuffled, and looked a little uncomfortable.

"...Kido." she said finally. My eyes widened. Kido was the family my mother worked for. I recall her saying once that the Kidos had two girls, one of which was about the same age as me. She must be the one.

"So you're... Then do you know my mom? She works as a maid for you guys." I paused, then laughed. "...Then again, it's not possible that you would know all the maids that work for your family. Sorry, forget about that." Tsubomi looked away, and she gripped the sides of her skirt tightly.

"...She had blonde hair, didn't she?" she asked. "The same blonde as yours. But she had blue eyes. She was quite young and beautiful. She was very kind, and she worked hard, didn't she?" I looked at her excitedly. She knew my mom! Then she would probably know where she is!

"Yeah, that's her! Have you seen her? She hasn't come back home, it's weird, she's never late from work... Her work shift should've ended, right? I'm a little worried..." I said. Tsubomi's eyes filled with tears. I started to panic. I didn't know how to deal with a crying girl!

"H-Hey, what's wrong? Don't cry...!" I said.

"There was a fire... Our mansion burned down... We called the fire department but they didn't come in time... Everyone started panicking and nobody was able to escape... All our servants died..." Tsubomi managed to choke out. My eyes widened. Tsubomi just escaped from a fire. That explained the burns on her clothes. But... Mom was... dead? That doesn't make sense... What was Tsubomi talking about?

"She... She's d-dead..." she said. I grabbed her by the shoulders. I was no longer thankful for the girl who saved me; I was filled with anger.

"If you were able to get out, then why didn't you save her?! Why didn't you try to save my mom?! Why?! Answer me!" I yelled. To my surprise, she yelled back at me.

"I tried! Do you know how hard I tried?! I tried so hard to save everyone! But I couldn't! I was the only one who survived the fire! I lost all the servants that were so nice to me, and my mom, my dad, and my sister!" she shouted, falling to her knees. "Onee-chan..." she said in between sniffles. I let go of her. She couldn't have done anything. I knew that even before I started yelling at her. If she could, she would have. I was sure of that. I was being unreasonable right now. She herself had gone through a lot of pain, and I was just adding onto it.

"I'm sorry." I said quietly once her sniffling had ceased. She looked up at me, some tears still remaining in her eyes. "I shouldn't have blamed you. You couldn't have done anything." She nodded.

"...I'm alone now. I'm alone in this world. I should have died along with everyone else in that fire." she said. I looked into her red eyes. Those red eyes that everyone seemed to fear but my mother always loved. The same red eyes I had.

"That's not true." I said. "The world is giving you the strength to live on. And even if you were alone, I'll be on your side." Her cheeks reddened, and she looked away.

"Don't say such embarrassing things." she said. Involuntarily, my cheeks also turned red as I realized how embarrassing that was. "...But thank you." I paused for a second, then smiled.

"So how about you and I stick together for now?"

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Are you sure that this is the place we should stay at?" asked Tsubomi. We were standing in front of an orphanage. From today onwards, this would be the place we were going to stay at. Tsubomi and I had stayed together ever since we met, going from place to place looking for a house to stay at.

"Yeah." I said. "It'll be fine, Tsubomi!" She didn't need my reassuring. Tsubomi had grown stronger than before, both mentally and physically. She wasn't "weak" like how she was when I first met her, but rather more boyish and aggressive. She had taken a liking to hitting me whenever she thought I got annoying. The door opened suddenly, and a woman stepped out.

"Ah, Tsubomi-chan and Shuuya-kun! Welcome!" she said, smiling. We had met her a few days ago, and she was the owner of this orphanage. Her name was Maria, and she agreed to take us in, and this would be our new home until someone came to adopt us. We walked into the orphanage. It looked quite cozy and nice. Maria led us to a room with the number "107" marked on the door.

"This will be your room. You two will share this room with one other boy." she said, opening the door. "Kousuke-kun? Your new roommates are here!" The boy sitting on one of the beds looked up. He looked our age, and he had black hair and... Red eyes. My own red eyes widened, and so did Tsubomi's. I was sure we were thinking of the same thing. Our red eyes were definitely not common, so was it a coincidence that our new roommate had those eyes? ...I don't think so.

"Then I'll leave you to yourselves!" said Maria, closing the door.

"U-um, it's very nice to meet you both! I'm Kousuke Seto, I hope we will get along well!" he said, bowing. He was pretty nervous. To my surprise, Tsubomi gave him a glare.

"Don't use honorifics." she said coldly before sitting down on the opposite bunk bed. Kousuke looked even more nervous and scared now.

"Um, yes!" he said. "I mean, okay!" To try to ease the uncomfortable atmosphere that floated above us now, I introduced myself.

"I'm Shuuya Kano, and she's Tsubomi Kido. Nice to meet you, Kousuke!" I said. Kousuke smiled at my words.

"Yeah!"

This was how our life at the orphanage started.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Kousuke soon became our great friend, the only one we had at the orphanage. The other kids would either cower in fear or laugh at our red eyes, saying we were "monsters". So we kept to ourselves. The orphanage definitely wasn't a bad place; they provided us with food and shelter, and the three of us were able to be together. We didn't mind if nobody came to adopt us. If somebody came, then we'd probably lose them forever. I secretly hoped that nobody would ever come to take us away from this place. But one day, Maria called the three of us to her room.

"There's a family who wants to adopt you," she said. "They're really nice people and they've got a little girl who's wanted siblings for ages." We looked at each other. Was this our goodbye? Which one of us was the family going to take? Would we never see each other again?

"Which one of us are they going to take in?" asked Tsubomi, voicing my worries. Maria blinked in confusion.

"I didn't make myself clear enough, I guess. The Tateyamas have made a request to adopt Tsubomi Kido, Kousuke Seto, and Shuuya Kano. All three of you." she said. My eyes widened. All three of us?! That meant... That meant we didn't have to say goodbye!

"How about you meet them first, and then make your decision? They'll be here in about fifteen minutes." said Maria. We nodded and headed back to our room.

"Did you hear that?! We're going to be adopted! And we won't have to leave each other either! I wonder what our new family will be like!" said Kousuke excitedly.

"For the first family that had ever wanted to adopt us, this is great!" I said, smiling.

"Not my first." said Tsubomi. When both Kousuke and I turned to look at her in surprise, she shrugged. "There had been a few other families that wanted to take me in, but I turned them down."

"Why didn't you go?" asked Kousuke. Tsubomi shuffled uncomfortably.

"Well, I didn't want to leave you guys, I guess." she said. Kousuke and I looked at each other, and laughed.

"W-What? What's so funny?!" said Tsubomi. I wiped away tears that came to my eyes from laughing.

"Nothing!" I said, smiling.

"We don't want to leave you either, Tsubomi!" said Kousuke. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. I went to open it, and a family of three stood in the doorway. They, I assumed, were the Tateyamas.

"Hi, kids!" said Mrs. Tateyama. "I'm Ayaka Tateyama, and this is my husband, Kenjirou Tateyama, and my daughter, Ayano Tateyama!" The Tateyamas smiled brightly.

"Nice to meet you." The three of us chorused. Mr. Tateyama cleared his throat.

"We've made a request to adopt the three of you. Of course, the choice is entirely up to you, but we would be really happy if you decided to come live with us." he said. "We'll go talk Ms. Maria, so you kids can talk." Mr. and Mrs. Tateyama walked off, leaving their daughter with us. She had shoulder-length dark brown hair, so dark that it would appear to be black at first glance. She wore two red clips in her hair in the shape of an 'X', and she had brown eyes. Her mouth stretched into a huge, wide smile.

"Hi! I'm Ayano Tateyama, I'm six years old, and I'll be your big sister!" she said. Then, she looked troubled. "Oh, but you still might not be coming to live with us, right...?" The three of us looked at each other. She was clearly disappointed and sad, and really, we had already decided the moment we heard we didn't have to part.

"It's okay!" I found myself saying. "We're probably going to go live with you guys, so I hope we all get along!" The girl looked up, surprised, then she smiled.

"Really?! Ah, I'm so glad! I'm sure we'll all get along!" she said. "Come on, call me 'onee-chan'!"

"O-Onee-chan..." Tsubomi was the first to speak. Our future sister's smiled widened as she heard those words and her eyes seemed to sparkle. She turned her excited gaze to me and Kousuke.

"Onee-chan!" said Kousuke, smiling. Now, she turned to me. I looked away, embarrassed.

"N-Nee-chan..." I said quietly. That was the furthest I got. Nee-chan nodded, smiling to herself.

"Great!" she said. "I'm sure we'll get along, Tsubomi, Kousuke, Shuuya!"

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Nee-chan was right. We did all get along. Everyday at the Tateyamas was fun, just like a dream. Dad was full of fun, playing along with our hero games and doing stupid things. Mom was kind and kept Dad in check. Nee-chan was energetic and she would cheer us up with the heroes she loved so much. "Red is the color of heroes!" she would always proclaim. Kousuke slowly became more confident, and Tsubomi laughed more. Back in the orphanage, she would never really smile at anything, perhaps still weighed down by the loss of everyone she had known. But here, she was happy and smiling - and I was happy for her too.

I noticed Tsubomi more and more. I knew she was afraid of ghosts. I knew that secretly, she owned skirts that she never wore. I knew that underneath the boyish cover, she was just a normal girl. Involuntarily, I became more and more annoying to her, teasing her and saying things I regretted right after I received a hard punch or kick. I guess I just wanted her to notice me more. It was obvious that she enjoyed the company of Mom, Dad, Nee-chan, and Kousuke; she would talk happily with them. But with me, she wasn't as happy. She always punched me. Why was that?

We didn't make a lot of friends in school; they cowered in fear due to our red eyes. But that didn't matter, since we had each other. But in our second year of middle school, we encountered friends. A group of teenagers that accompanied us through thick and thin. Of course, we can't forget about Actor, who we met in our second year of high school.

Kido hid her weak self underneath the cover, and she had showed me that side only because of the fire. But that wasn't her fault. It was natural that she would be scared, terrified of something that would have killed her years ago. To this day, I would still suck in a breath when I saw murderers on TV. I'm sure the rest of the gang was the same. We all had near-death experiences, and we would all be scared to death - no pun intended - by it. We never talked about our experiences, but I noticed that both Seto and Momo hated being beside the water, and Marry was also scared of murderers, just like me. Ene had a fear of poison and Actor hated scientists. Hibiya hated black cats, construction sites, and trucks. Perhaps I was more observant than the others, but I think the rest of us had noticed something as well.

I would have been dead, killed by those men, if Kido hadn't showed up. Really, I owed my life to her. Without her, I would have been dead long ago.

I emerged from the building with Kido, who had fallen asleep, on my back. The Blindfold Gang noticed us and quickly ran over to us.

"Are you mad, Shuuya?!" Nee-chan shouted. "You just dashed into the building regardless of the fire! I could have lost you both! _We _could have lost you both!" I looked away nervously. This was bad. Nee-chan was _really _mad. Seto put a hand on Nee-chan's shoulder.

"Well, well. They're back, and that's what's most important, isn't it?" he said.

"But Ayano-chan's right! We were really worried!" said Momo.

"Sorry." I said, laughing awkwardly.

"How's Kido?" asked Marry, glancing nervously at Kido, who was still on my back.

"She's... fine." I said, eyeing her.

"Let's go back," said Konoha. "The school just dismissed us." We nodded, and we headed back to the base. I glanced back at Kido from time to time to make sure she was alright. We soon got back and everyone relaxed in the living room. I set Kido down on the bed in her room and I sat down in a chair next to her. She looked so... Peaceful.

I looked out the window. Today had been a greatly eventful day, and so much has happened. Our school should be fine, fire trucks came and the firefighters would have done their job already.

"Kano?" I looked back and saw that Kido had woken up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Yo," I said, smiling like I always did. "You've woken up, Danchou?" Kido looked around, and her eyes widened.

"The fire...! What happened?" she asked.

"It should be gone by now. I got you out." I said. She looked at me intently, as if searching for an answer.

"Why?" she asked finally. I cocked my head to one side.

"What do you mean, 'why'?" I asked.

"Why did you save me?" she asked. I paused, then laughed.

"What, did you want me to leave you in there?" I asked. I got up from the chair. "Now that I've made sure our Kido is alright, I'll leave. You can keep resting if you'd like."

"I hate it when you do that." My eyes widened at Kido's words. My hands that paused above the door handle shook, like she found out a secret of mine.

"What do you mean? Did I do something to anger you, Kido?" I said, pretending to not know anything about what Kido was talking about. But I did. It was a secret of mine, a habit I had already gotten used to. I turned back around and saw that Kido was staring at me with a very serious expression.

"Yeah, you did." said Kido. "And you know perfectly well what I'm talking about."

"I don't," I said, smiling and continuing to play dumb. Kido's eyes narrowed.

"Lying," she said. "I hate it when you lie." My hands formed fists that were shaking at my sides, but my face still showed that stupid, stupid smile. See? It's already a habit. I can't do anything about it anymore. No matter how much I want to tell the truth, it's usually the truth that sounds the most like lies...

"You always go around with that dumb smile plastered on your face, even though you're breaking down inside. Every time you open your mouth, it's just another lie. I'm sick of it. Even though you're breaking down inside, you still carry that stupid, stupid mask and cover your true feelings." said Kido. I sucked in a breath. That... hurt. It was true. Every single word that Kido just said was true.

"I ask you one more time. Why did you save me?" asked Kido. I smiled, a sad, yet true, smile.

"Isn't it obvious?" I said. "Because I like you, Kido." Her eyes widened, and she stared at me.

"How come you're not going to hit me for lying?" I asked.

"Because you're not." Kido replied.

"How did you know?" I asked. What, did she know of my feelings already? Long before even I did?

"I can tell when you're lying and when you're not, Kano. I've been able to since when we were young. And I've hated it." she said. I walked over to her and knelt down in front of her.

"Then do you hate me?" I asked. I waited for the words that would break me into a million pieces.

"...No." My eyes widened at Kido's words.

"Then do you like me?" I asked. I know I was being annoying, but I didn't want the subject to just drop like that. Kido's face flushed red, and she looked away. After a moment of silence, she nodded slowly, her face still red. I stared at her, surprised, then I smiled. A genuine smile, not one of the fake ones I always wore. I took her hand in mine, and Kido looked at me. She looked embarrassed, but she smiled.

_Well, that's where I'll stop for today…_

_Next time you hear the signal…_

_I'll tell you an even stranger tale!_

* * *

**_Chapter 013: Lost Time Memory_**

_August 15th._

_This day meant so much to the members of the Gang, but they never spoke about it. Never did they ever talk about this day that was etched into their memories and minds forever. They didn't want to show their weaknesses, their weak sides, to their friends._

_But secrets cannot be kept forever; the stories behind the member's and their relationship is slowly being revealed, and they will have each other to comfort them in their moments of weakness..._

* * *

**If you liked this chapter, give it a review, a favorite, a follow, a whatever you wish! I hope you've liked it and see you next time!**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	13. 013: Lost Time Memory

August 15th.

This day meant so much to the members of the Gang, but they never spoke about it. Never did they ever talk about this day that was etched into their memories and minds forever. They didn't want to show their weaknesses, their weak sides, to their friends.

But secrets cannot be kept forever; the stories behind the members' and their relationship is slowly being revealed. Their lost times are being played again, and they will have each other to comfort them in their moments of weakness...

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Hey, what's the date today?" asked Actor lazily, not even looking up from her PSP. It was quite late, and all of the gang members were in the living room even though they should be getting ready for bed. Momo looked at the calendar hanging on the wall. She paused, her expression unreadable, then replied:

"August 14th."

The whole gang looked up with a start. Shintaro stopped looking at his phone, Ene gripped the sides of her computer, and Actor seemed to ignore what was happening to her character on her PSP shooting game. Kido, Kano, and Seto looked at each other, and Marry gripped her skirt. Hibiya sucked in a deep breath and Konoha's eyes widened. The gang had been to absorbed in the events of the day to notice the date.

"But then tomorrow's..." Hibiya started, then stopped abruptly. Everyone turned to stare at him.

"August 15th..." murmured Marry.

"What happened, Marry?" asked Seto. Marry shook her head.

"No, nothing." she said. When Seto didn't look convinced, she looked away. "August 15th was my grandmother's birthday, the day my mom died, and the day I would have died years ago." Everyone else widened their eyes.

"Marry, you..." Kido trailed off.

"I knew we were all close to death at one point in our lives, but..." said Ene with wide eyes. Actor ran a hand through her hair.

"I didn't think it would be this day..." she finished. Everyone else nodded in agreement. The moment the gang realized that their friends all nodded, they looked at each other.

"No..." said Momo. "Could it be...?"

"You all were close to death on August 15th?" asked Shintaro. The gang looked at each other before nodding in unison.

"How could we have never known?" asked Konoha.

"How come nobody told each other?!" asked Momo incredulously. Kano laughed bitterly.

"It's not an easy topic to talk about, is it?" he said. Marry's eyes widened and she looked at Kido.

"When our school caught on fire, Kano said that Kido almost died in a fire once. Is that true?" she asked. All eyes went to Kido, who looked surprised. She gave Kano a stern look, and Kano laughed awkwardly.

"I was really worried, so it kind of just slipped out..." said Kano. "Sorry..." Kido sighed. The gang was quite surprised that Kano knew how Kido had been close to death (nobody in the gang knew how their friends almost died, since it wasn't a topic that was brought up often, if ever), and that Kido didn't punch Kano. They have become closer after the fire, and the gang suspected something had happened that Kano and Kido were keeping away from them.

"Yeah, that's true." she said. "I almost died in a fire twelve years ago, the fire that took away my family and our servants."

"...Would you tell us about it?" asked Marry, after a small silence following Kido's words.

"We want to know what you've been through, Kido." said Momo. After a moment of thinking, Kido nodded.

"Alright."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tsubomi was in her room when panic broke out in the mansion. A sudden scream caught her attention. She quickly sat up in her chair, her eyes wide. Nobody in the mansion cared for Tsubomi much; they all dedicated their attention to her older sister. Unlike Tsubomi, her older sister was proud and she was not afraid of anything. Tsubomi wanted to be like her sister, but instead she was easily scared and reliant on others.

She opened the door of her room and peeked out nervously. Tsubomi was told to stay in her room at all times unless it was mealtime or she had classes. She slowly stepped out of her room and walked down the long hallway. She turned at the corner and sight before her made her gasp. The hallway was set ablaze, and the servants lay on the ground, lifeless and burnt to death.

Tsubomi screamed. The sight in front of her was not something a four-year-old could take in. She sank to her knees, tears in her eyes and already spilling out. The flames started to eat at her expensive clothes and her perfectly groomed hair. She could already feel the heat. She wanted to run, run away from the fire that would take her life, but she was frozen in the spot. Suddenly, a hand grabbed hers and pulled her up. It was her sister.

"Go quick, Tsubomi!" she ordered. "Run! And get out of here as soon as possible!" Tsubomi looked into her sister's eyes, then quickly averted her gaze.

"I don't want to go alone, it's too scary..." she said quietly. "Let's go together..."

"Don't be so weak!" her sister yelled. Tsubomi flinched at her tone. Her sister's tone and gaze softened. "Only one of us can escape. Take this with you, and go quick." Her sister handed her two water guns, both filled up to the brim. After a pause, Tsubomi got to her feet and ran without another word. She ran as fast as her feet could take her, and she ignored all of the heat and pain she felt while the fire surrounded her.

Soon, she managed to stumble out of the house. She took one last glance at the house she spent her whole life in that was burning down into ashes, before tearing down the road. She stopped to catch her breath in an alleyway. Then, she noticed a boy being thrown out of a house across from her by two grown men that didn't look like his guardians. She watched in horror as one of the men pulled out a knife and stabbed downwards. The boy dodged it, and the man brought it down a second time.

That was when Tsubomi started running. She ran to them while pulling out the two water guns she received from her sister. She took accurate aim and pulled the trigger. Two shots of liquid, which she realized were actually lemonade, squirted out from the gun and into the man's eyes.

"Run!" Tsubomi yelled to the boy, who grabbed a box out of the men's hands and pulled her along with him. This boy was Shuuya Kano, who would become her adoptive brother, NO.3 of the Blindfold Gang, and the guy she loved.

It wasn't after a long time that she found out nobody else survived that fire. Not any of the servants, or her mother, or her father, or her elder sister. She was the only one who escaped the fate of burning along with the house.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

There was a silence after Kido finished her story. Everyone were quite lost in their thoughts. They knew it must have been hard for Kido, having everyone she knew die but survive herself.

"Then, since that boy was Kano, was that how you almost died, Kano?" asked Konoha. Kano laughed dryly.

"Yeah, that was exactly how." he said. "Those men were robbing us of all the luxuries we had. My mom wasn't really wealthy or anything, you see, rather the opposite, so that was pretty much all we had. Of course I had to stop them. Then they threw me into doors and almost stabbed me with a knife. I dodged the first time, but if it wasn't for Kido, then I would have died from that stab. There wouldn't be anyone to bring me to the hospital, so I would have bled to death from that wound."

"What happened afterwards?" asked Actor.

"After wandering around for a while, we stayed at an orphanage until Aya-nee came to adopt us. That was where we met Seto, also." said Kano. All heads turned to Seto.

"Come to think of it, even _we_ haven't heard about Seto's story before." said Kido. Seto laughed.

"Well, it wasn't something I was quite proud of, so..." he said. "I was an orphan from the start; my parents had died and so I was assigned to an orphanage. The other kids from the orphanage all hated me, and my red eyes." Everyone visibly stiffened at the last part. "I only had one friend, who was a golden retriever named Hana. One day, some of the kids thought it would be fun to push us off the riverbank and into the river. I didn't know how to swim, so I was obviously drowning. Hana jumped in to save me, but she couldn't swim either. When the adults found us, I was unconscious and Hana was dead."

"...Those monsters." said Marry, who had tears in her eyes and her fists balled. Seto's eyes widened, then smiled gently at her.

"Marry, it's okay." he said softly. "My story's nothing compared to many other people's. So it's alright!" Marry looked up at him, before breaking into a smile.

"Okay!" she said.

"I actually also almost drowned as well..." said Momo softly.

"What happened, Momo-chan?" asked Marry, her eyes full of worry.

"My family was at the beach... I was around four as well... I was too young to swim in the deep end by myself, so my dad was with me as well. When he wasn't looking, I swam off by myself... The water was too deep and I wasn't good at swimming at all, so I started drowning, and my dad..." Tears started to form in Momo's eyes.

"Momo, you don't have to if you don't want to. You don't have to force yourself to remember." said Shintaro. Momo wiped away her tears and smiled.

"No, it's okay, Onii-chan. My dad was found dead while I was unconscious. Ever since that, I've been really wary around water." she said.

"Well, my story's actually the same as Actor's. And it's not really an upbeat one." said Ene, seeing that she was next. All eyes were on her and Actor as she spoke.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Takane and Actor sat in the corner of the damp, dark room, shivering from not only the cold, but from fear. It had been three days since they were kidnapped and thrown into this room - no, it was more of a cell. The room was dirty and the only light source was the single window that was enough for a person to crawl through. The third graders still remembered the fear the felt when they were gagged and thrown into a van on their way home from school. They only occasionally got water and food during the three days of their imprisonment.

"It's alright," Actor reassured Takane. "I'm sure Mom and Dad will get us out of here!" Takane nodded. Actor was trying to act like the "bigger sister" here, even though Takane was sure she was just as scared. Also, _she _was the big sister here.

"I wonder about that," said a boy who was sitting not far from them. "I've been here for a week now and nobody has come." There were three other kids that were also imprisoned in this room along with the Enomoto twins. The boy who spoke had raven-black hair and brown eyes. He looked around two years older than Ene and Actor.

"Don't listen to him," said a boy who was sitting next to him. He had blond hair and blue eyes. He looked the same age as the previous boy. "Jun's a huge pessimist. I'm Shun, Shun Fukuyama. And he's Jun Miyano."

"Oh, we're doing self-introductions?" asked the last person that was in the room. She had blonde hair and grey eyes, and she looked like she was a middle-schooler. "I'm Kaoru Hanazono, and I'm in eighth grade!" She turned to the twins. "What are your names?"

"I'm Takane Enomoto." It was Takane who finally spoke up.

"And I'm Actor Enomoto." said Actor.

"So you guys are twins? That's so cool! You look exactly alike!" said Shun excitedly.

"They're identical twins, you idiot." said Jun, rolling his eyes. He shut up after Shun gave him a bored look.

"So how can we tell you apart?" asked Shun. Takane and Actor looked at each other. Takane let her hair out of her pigtails.

"There." she said. "I'm Takane, and she's Actor." Shun laughed.

"That _does_ make it much easier." he said.

"How long have you been here?" asked Actor, directing the question to Shun and Kaoru.

"I've been here for a week as well. I was brought here with Jun. We're classmates and good friends." said Shun. "We're in sixth grade, by the way."

"I've been here for around two weeks." said Kaoru. "The food doesn't get any better, trust me." She laughed dryly.

"And nobody has come to get you?" asked Takane.

"They should have called the police by now!" said Actor.

"Well, either they didn't or the police isn't doing a great job." said Jun.

"How old are you guys?" asked Kaoru.

"We're in third grade." said Actor. They talked a little more, laughing and telling each other about their lives preceding this event. Even though they were kidnapped and it was hard to smile in this kind of situation, they truly had fun talking to each other. Suddenly, the door opened just slightly and a few trays were shoved towards them.

"Your dinner." said their captor. His eyes seemed to settle on Shun. "That kid over there, come with me." Everyone looked at Shun, who visibly paled. He sat there, not moving. Unfortunately, their captor did not have a lot of patience.

"I said come with you, do you not hear me?!" he yelled, marching into the room and slamming the door behind him. He grabbed Shun and left without another word. Kaoru sighed and took the trays and passed it to each one of them. She took a bite of the food and leaned back against the wall.

"What happened? Why did Shun get taken away?" asked Actor.

"I have a bad feeling about this." said Takane.

"I can't believe it," murmured Jun. "It was an 1/2 chance. Why Shun?"

"What happened?" asked Actor.

"Shun was taken to be experimented on." said Jun. Takane and Actor looked at each other.

"What do you mean?" asked Takane.

"Our kidnapper's a mad scientist. Over the years he's been taking kids and doing experiments on them. Every night I press my ear against the floor and try to listen to what's happening outside and what he's planning, and yesterday I heard him say that he was going to take someone new, since his other experiments failed. He said he was thinking of taking either Shun, or..." He averted his gaze.

"Or who?" asked Actor. Jun looked at her directly in her eyes.

"Or you." he answered. Both Actor and Takane's eyes widened. Actor started trembling and Takane stared at her. All she could see in Actor's red eyes, those same scarlet eyes as hers, was fear.

"He's gone now." said Jun, his bangs shadowing over his face. The twins were sure he had started crying. "We'll never see him again." Takane turned away and to her tray of food, her heart aching. Shun had been a really nice guy to them, almost like an older brother. She took a bite from the meal that was provided. The moment she put the food in her mouth, Kaoru let out a yell.

"Don't eat it!" she yelled. "Spit it out, quick!" The horrified yet scared look on Kaoru's face made Takane obey immediately. She spat out the food, and the moment she did so, Kaoru coughed out blood. Everyone looked at her in horror.

"Kaoru!" said Jun, rushing over to her. "Are you okay?!" Kaoru gave them a weak smile.

"Food... Poisoned..." she managed to force out before coughing up more blood.

"W-Why?! Doesn't he need us for his experiments?! Why would he poison us?!" said Actor. Kaoru shook her head.

"Don't know..." she said. "Jun... Takane-chan... Actor-chan... Get out of here... Even though it can get hard at times... Life gets better... Quickly..." Kaoru's hand, which Jun had clasped, fell limp at her side. The three of them sat in shocked silence. It was Takane who finally spoke up.

"We have to get out of here." she said, standing up shakily.

"No doubt." said Actor. "That's Kaoru's wish, after all." They all got to their feet.

"This room is at the second floor, and the only escape route is the window since the door is locked. But if we jump out of the window, he'll definitely see us because we'll pass the window of his lab on the first floor." said Jun.

"Which means we'll have to bring him to the second floor before we quickly jump." said Actor.

"That way we'll slow him down, since he has to rush down to the first floor and out the door. By then, hopefully we'll be gone." said Takane. The three of them looked at each other and nodded. Takane walked over to the window and looked out.

"It's raining, isn't it...?" she murmured. "It doesn't look high enough to kill or severely injure us. We're only on the second floor." Actor and Jun nodded.

"Let's break the window with these." said Jun, holding up the trays. "We'll get his attention by the sound. But we gotta break the window quick, then. Don't look back after you jump. Just run." He gave Takane and Actor each a tray and on the count of three, they collectively brought the trays down sharply on the window. It shattered on the sharp impact, and made a huge noise. Just in case that didn't attract their captor's attention, they threw the trays to the opposite side of the room. The trays landed with a huge "bang!". They heard the harsh footsteps that belonged to the mad scientist coming closer and closer. Takane climbed up onto the window sill and into position, ignoring the shards of glass that were beside her. She looked down. She wasn't that high up and she didn't have a fear of heights, but jumping down from this height naturally scared her. But she shook those fears away. It was her road to survival.

The door burst open, and Takane immediately jumped. The harsh, cold wind blew and her hair flew in the breeze. The sensation of falling wasn't great. Her heart pounded in her chest from nervousness. She landed on her feet, wincing at the impact, and took off running. She had never run faster in her entire life. She was never the best at running - that had been Actor, who pretty much won every track meet she had ever been in. She could hear Actor and Jun behind her, and the yells of their captor behind them. They ran and ran, until their lungs burned and their eyes stung. They stopped when they were a distance away from the house and hid in an alleyway.

"...We got out." said Jun finally. Takane nodded.

"Yeah." said Actor. "I can't believe it." Jun glanced at their feet, which were covered in blood and cuts from running without shoes.

"Go to the hospital or something when you get back." he said. "Get your feet treated. Do you know how to get back home from here?" Takane and Actor took a look around and nodded. Jun smiled just faintly.

"Good. Well, I guess I'll see you guys around." he said. They looked at each other, and smiled.

"We'll meet again someday."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

There was simply dead silence after Takane finished talking. Everyone was shocked - no, more than just shocked. The story Ene had just told them was like something out of a TV show, something that was so far away from 'everyday life'.

"...Seriously?" asked Hibiya, his eyes wide with surprise. Ene and Actor nodded at the same time.

"Why would I joke about this stuff?" asked Ene. "You guys probably saw it in the news, too; the fact that a guy who was kidnapping kids for his mad scientist experiments was arrested a few years back. What'd he get, sentenced for life? Death penalty? I don't remember."

"That's right, I've heard about that..." said Shintaro.

"Mom and Dad weren't happy about the fact that we got kidnapped. I moved away right after that event." said Actor.

"So did you ever meet that Jun-kun again?" asked Momo. Actor shook her head.

"No. We never really looked for each other, I guess. He's three years older than us, so he'd be in, what, his second year of college now? No, wait, his third year. I keep thinking I'm still a junior, dammit." she said.

"Actually, I found Jun on the DEAD BULLET chatroom. We now talk once in a while." said Ene. Everyone turned to look at her.

"What, seriously?! Why didn't you tell me?!" asked Actor, surprised. She obviously didn't know. Ene laughed awkwardly.

"Well, I had a lot of stuff on my mind at that time, so..." she said. Actor sighed.

"Fine. Dammit, I gotta talk to him too! It's been such a long time!" she said. "But not now." Everyone turned to look at the next person, Konoha.

"My story's definitely not as horrifying as Ene's and Actor's." he said. "I was born with a fatal illness, and so I was hospitalized a lot. If I had an attack, I would die from it. I didn't have them often, but often enough for me to get used to it. There was one time in middle school, I was a first year, where I had an attack and got sent to the hospital. My heartbeat stopped for a few seconds until they were able to bring me back. So yeah, that's my near-death experience. I remember Ene cried a lot that day..."

"W-Well, that was b-because I was... worried..." said Ene, blushing and turning away. The gang's gazes soon made her feel uncomfortable. "Oh my god, quit staring at me! Next person! Master, go!"

"...I was really depressed in middle school. I thought about death and suicide often. I thought the world was worthless. I hated everyone, but more than that, I hated myself. So I decided to commit suicide." said Shintaro. Everyone sucked in a deep breath at his words, except Momo, who started to bite the nail of her thumb.

"I decided to kill myself by thrusting a pair of red scissors into my throat." Everyone shuddered at the horrible image. "I chose a day where my nobody was at home. I got everything ready and I sat down on my bed. I closed my eyes and brought the scissors down to my neck. I waited for the pain, but it didn't come. I opened my eyes and I saw Momo standing in front of me. Her hands gripped my wrists hard, and I saw that the scissor's blade was millimeters away from my neck." The gang turned to look at Momo.

"She had stopped me from committing suicide. She talked some sense into me, and so here I am now." said Shintaro.

"...And you're not feeling suicidal now or anything, right, Shintaro?" asked Kido.

"You can always come and talk to us, Shintaro-kun." said Konoha.

"I'm fine, I'm fine! I'm definitely not thinking of suicide right now." said Shintaro. Ene laughed.

"Yeah, especially when he's got a cute girlfriend!" she said. Shintaro's face heated up and he glared at Ene.

"Do you always have to bring this up?" he asked. Ene and Actor rolled their eyes at the same time.

"Um, yes!" they answered simultaneously. Everyone laughed.

"So, what's your story, Marry-chan?" asked Momo, once everyone stopped laughing.

"...I was bullied a lot in elementary school because of my red eyes, and everyone thought I was a monster... That's why I was homeschooled by my mom. One day, two men came to my house, claiming that we were monsters and they killed my mom... I-I couldn't take it, and then... I killed them. If Seto didn't find me and bring me here, I would have lived in fear for the rest of my life." said Marry.

"Marry... I didn't know..." said Seto, his eyes full of concern. Marry shook her head.

"No, it's fine, Seto! You don't have to apologize, you're the one who saved me after all!" she said. Everyone turned to look at the last person, the last one who still has not shared their story.

"Hibiya-kun?" asked Momo. His hands tightened into fists.

"I've had a lot of near-death experiences, actually. Even in the countryside where I grew up, I would be close to death. But when I came here, there was one event that was, well, "memorable", not in a good way." he said. He looked up at everyone. "I'm sure you've heard of the name Hiyori Asahina."

"The girl you loved and would quit the gang for?" asked Kano. Hibiya nodded.

"She saved me by pulling me back from a truck that would crush me on the roads. I was extremely thankful for her actions, but... I wasn't able to do the same for her." Ene's eyes widened.

"You mean..." she said. Hibiya nodded.

"She was crushed by a truck on the same road." he said. Everyone fell into a silence. Finally, it was Shintaro who started speaking.

"We probably all keep thinking, "if only things could be wound back". As the many years pass, we don't die like our precious ones did, always proclaiming hopeful ideas, even though, naturally, they're still not here. We grab our wrists and curse, saying "I don't care, go die, go die". Because we can't do anything, we sit casually indulging in life. We probably all keep thinking, "if the summer, if August 15th can show us dreams, let's go to before you were taken away", but the true meaning behind the existence of the events that happened during August 15th isn't to haunt us, but to make us stronger." he said. A silence followed his speech, but then everyone started smiling.

"That was a great speech for someone like you, Master!" said Ene, laughing. Kido smiled.

"Now then, it's pretty late so we should head to bed." she said.

"Good night~!" said Kano. Everyone stood up to go to bed.

"What's up, Master?" asked Ene, looking back at Shintaro, who was still sitting. He shook his head.

"Nothing." he said. "I just thought... We all got stronger, haven't we? Because of these "lost time memories"..."

* * *

**_Chapter 014: Ayano's Theory of Happiness_**

_I've never been a smart person; I'm actually rather a big fool. I'm not good at my studies like Shintaro, and I'm not good at sports either. I'm clumsy and I fall a lot as well, and it doesn't seem like I have something I'm really good at. I don't know much about a single topic in depth, except heroes, which I've taken a liking to ever since I was young. But I do know of one thing: happiness comes from being with your friends, and the members of the Blindfold Gang are the best friends anyone can ask for. _

* * *

**Thank you for reading, and please review! :)))**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	14. 014: Ayano's Theory of Happiness

**This is definitely my fastest update yet, and I don't know what drove me to write this fast. This chapter just really got me, and I couldn't stop writing. I definitely had fun, so I hope you like this chapter!**

* * *

If you ask various people what word comes to mind when they think about me, I'm sure the answers would be quite different from what I would think of.

Mom would think of "precious", and Dad would think of something like "angel" or something. Tsubomi would say "cute", Kousuke would say "paper cranes", and Shuuya would say "older sister". Ene, Konoha, Marry, and Hibiya would say "kind", and Momo and Actor would say "heroes". Shintaro would say something like "stupid", haha...

But if you ask me, I would not say "heroes", "older sister", or "kind", although those are words that represent me quite well. What I truly think of first when I think about myself is "happiness".

I've never been a smart person; I'm actually rather a big fool. I'm not good at my studies like Shintaro, and I'm not good at sports either. I'm clumsy and I fall a lot as well, and it doesn't seem like I have something I'm really good at. I don't know much about a single topic in depth, except heroes, which I've taken a liking to ever since I was young. But there's just something about happiness that attracts me. I even have a theory about happiness, and I have a quite straightforward name for it:

Ayano's Theory of Happiness.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Ever since I was young, I've liked the idea of happiness. The thought of putting smiles on people's faces made _me _smile, and I loved making Mom and Dad laugh. I grew up very happily with only my parents until I was six, when Mom and Dad adopted three kids.

Their names are Tsubomi Kido, Kousuke Seto, and Shuuya Kano.

Tsubomi was the only girl and the eldest by a few months. She looked like a boy at first sight with her beautiful green hair cut short and her masculine clothing, but if you look closely, she's a really beautiful girl.

Kousuke was the eldest boy, and he was a really kind one. Kousuke loved animals, and he would be so gentle with them.

Shuuya was the youngest of the three. He had cat-like eyes and always had a smile on his face. He was a jokester and he tries to make everyone laugh.

"Ayano's the big sister, so take care of everyone!" My mom had told me. The young Ayano Tateyama, naive and striving for the happy faces of everyone around me, had nodded enthusiastically. I was sure my new siblings would be amazing people that I would love, and I wasn't wrong; but I had noticed they weren't quite happy about their pasts.

That was when my view of "happiness" grew solid.

"Nee-chan, why did you guys decide to adopt us?" asked Shuuya all of a sudden. I looked up from the hero storybook I was reading. Tsubomi and Kousuke averted their gazes, their scarlet eyes seemingly focusing on something else. Shuuya was looking at me and smiling, but I sensed there was something hiding under the smile, some sadness I did not know about.

"I've always wanted siblings, so you could imagine how happy I was when Mom and Dad told me I would be getting three younger siblings!" I said, smiling.

"Then you really don't know about our pasts, do you, Nee-chan?" he asked. Tsubomi and Kousuke visibly flinched. It was only a slight movement, but I noticed it. I set the storybook on the ground and looked into Shuuya's eyes, smiling firmly.

"You're right, Shuuya. I don't know anything about what happened to everyone before we met. But all that matters now is the present, not the past, right?" I said.

"But Onee-chan... We... We all have caused bad things to happen to the people close to us... W-We're monsters..." said Tsubomi.

"The red of our eyes... This red... Has caused so much... This beautiful, cursed scarlet..." said Kousuke. My eyes widened, but then I smiled.

"Look at this, Tsubomi, Kousuke, Shuuya!" I said, holding up the hero storybook. Everyone looked up. The page showed the main hero of the story saving the children.

"Red isn't a cursed color! Look! Red... is the color of heroes!" I said, smiling. I set the storybook down in front of them. "Wait a second!" I ran out of the room and came back seconds later, wearing the red scarf Mom got me for Christmas.

"Look! Red is such a beautiful color, especially when heroes wear it while saving the day!" I said. I cleared my throat and started speaking in a much exaggerated voice. "Are you the kids that have been trapped in sadness? Don't worry, I will destroy those monsters of sadness haunting you! Hero Red, here at your service!" Tsubomi, Kousuke, and Shuuya looked at each other and started laughing. I wondered why they were laughing, but looking at them finally laugh so happily made me happy too. I joined into their laughter, and thought:

What a great feeling happiness is...!

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Tsubomi! Kousuke! Shuuya!" I shouted, running to them. My three siblings stood in the rain in front of our middle school. They've just become first years in middle school, and they've been so happy, until now...

"Onee-chan!" said Tsubomi. I threw my arms around Tsubomi and Kousuke, dropping my umbrella onto the floor. We stood in tight embrace, not knowing if the water running down our faces were tears or raindrops anymore. The rain made our hair dripping wet, our clothes stick to our skin, and our bodies shiver with the cold. Shuuya held his umbrella up for us, shielding us from the merciless rain.

"It's alright... Everything's alright now..." I said, reassuring them.

"We got the phone call... They said Mom and Dad got into an accident at work... And that they still haven't woken up yet..." said Kousuke.

"Why... Why is it that these things always happens to us?" said Tsubomi. "We've found a new family, and we thought we could leave our pasts already, but this... Why?" I hugged them closer to me, hoping my embrace would be able to do something for them.

Have I failed to give them happiness?

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Mom and Dad still haven't woken from their coma. It's been a week already, and although their heartbeats have been constant, they still haven't been able to open their eyes. After visiting them the first day, we didn't go to the hospital. We made sure the nurse would call us when they wake up. Yes, I said "when". I believed with my whole heart that they would wake up. Because if they didn't... That would be too sad!

Mom wouldn't be able to see us again if she didn't wake up. She wouldn't be able to cook our meals, read us stories, or share jokes. She would never be able to return to this house made of crimson bricks, and she would not be able to see the rest of the world.

Dad wouldn't be able to act as the antagonist in our games anymore. He wouldn't be able to go to our school to teach again. I heard he had two students in the "special needs classroom", two students he loved spending time with.

They had to wake up. They just had to...!

During the days Mom and Dad weren't in the house, I took over all the housework. I made the meals, I washed the clothes and the dishes, and I cleaned the house. I didn't feel any resentment about having to do all the chores; Instead, I felt happy that I was able to do something for everyone.

Out of the three, Shuuya was the one who took the news best. He continued to smile through his days, even making jokes when nobody said anything, and he did all he could to lighten up the mood. However, I've heard him in his room, crying alone in the darkness at night. My heart was clenched with sadness whenever I heard the cries.

Was I not able to do anything for them?

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

The moment we got the call from the hospital, we dashed straight to Mom and Dad's hospital room. We ran as fast as we could, not caring about the strange stares we got from the people on the streets. I have never ran this fast in my entire life.

"Mom! Dad!" I said, throwing open the door to the hospital room. My eyes immediately teared up. My parents sat upright in their hospital beds. Mom wasn't wearing those red clips that were the same as mine, and Dad wasn't wearing his glasses.

But they were there.

Mom.

Dad.

My parents.

Alive.

And well.

"Ah, Ayano! Tsubomi! Kousuke! Shuuya!" said Mom, smiling at each of us.

"Long time no see!" said Dad, laughing. My siblings immediately ran up to them. Looking at my parents talk happily with my siblings, I couldn't help but notice that each of my siblings had a smile on their face. A genuine, true smile, showing that they were overflowing with happiness. My parents also seemed greatly happy. I dropped to my knees, and tears flowed out of my eyes uncontrollably.

"Ayano? Are you okay?" asked Mom, looking worried.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" asked Dad. I shook my head. I was smiling, despite the tears that did not stop. I covered my face with my hands, crying.

"I'm so glad...!" I said. Everyone looked at each other, and smiled.

Sometimes happiness is a companion of relief, isn't it...?

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The first day of my third year as a middle schooler soon came, and time sure flies. I was going to be a high schooler soon! I couldn't believe it. It feels like I've been just a little kid just a while ago, and now I've come close to high school.

Today's also Tsubomi, Kousuke, and Shuuya's first day in their second year. I wonder if they'll be okay...

I found my seat, which was the one next to the window in the last row. I put down my bag and sat down. I had started wearing the red scarf ever since "that event" with my parents happened. Red is the color of heroes, and I wanted to be a hero that could save everyone from sadness. I looked up and saw that there was a girl sitting in front of me. She had her hair in twintails, which I thought was really cute. She was talking happily with a boy in the next seat, who was tall and pale. I decided to introduce myself to them. I tapped her on the back and she turned around.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Ayano Tateyama, and I'll be sitting behind you! I thought I'd say hello, haha... Hope we get along!" I said, smiling. Just faintly, I saw the girl smile.

"I'm Takane Enomoto. Nice to meet you." she said. Something clicked in my mind. I remember I've heard of this name... Dad often mentioned it. The boy also turned around in his seat.

"Hello! I'm Haruka Kokonose, nice to meet you!" he said. My eyes widened in recognition. These two were Dad's students from the special needs class! I heard they were transferring out into the normal classes from Dad! I nodded.

"Nice to meet you!" I said. I noticed that Takane had narrowed her eyes at the seat next to me. I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a boy take a seat in the chair beside mine. I turned around to face him.

"Hi! I'm Ayano Tateyama, nice to meet you! What's your name?" I said. The boy looked the other way and ignored my words.

"Hey, at least answer her!" said Takane. The boy sighed.

"Shintaro Kisaragi." he said, after a moment's pause. I smiled brightly.

"Nice to meet you!" I said. "Now that we're all friends, I hope we all get along!" Takane and Haruka smiled and nodded, while Shintaro gave me a look of disgust and turned away, as if saying "who wants to be friends with people like you". I smiled.

I'm so happy to have friends...!

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This is bad, this is bad...

I thought last year's math questions were already super hard, but this...! I never even thought I would be able to look at this straight for ten minutes without fainting! What is this? This is way too hard!

"Your pencil hasn't moved since ten minutes ago." said a voice from next to me. I looked up, surprised. It was Shintaro. He had a bored expression on his face. I noticed that his notebook was filled with his answers, and that he was already done. Ah, Shintaro's really a genius... I smiled sheepishly.

"I'm kind of stuck on this problem, haha..." I said. Shintaro sighed and moved closer to my seat. He glanced at the problem I was stuck on. He explained it to me in a total different way the teacher had, and for some reason, that made sense to me.

"Oh! That makes so much more sense now! Thank you, Shintaro!" I said. Shintaro raised an eyebrow.

"On first name basis already?" he asked. I covered my mouth. Oh no! What if he got mad because I called him by his first name? Even though I already register him as a friend in my mind, he might not think the same way! This would just offend him even more and make him mad and he wouldn't want to be my friend even more!

"Oh, I'm sorry, um-" I started.

"It's alright...Ayano." Shintaro said, cutting me off. I looked at him, surprised. I didn't think Shintaro would forgive me that easily. I smiled slightly to myself, thinking that Shintaro had a cute side too. I widened my mouth into a huge smile. Shintaro blushed and turned away. I giggled, my face slightly red.

I may have found someone I like...

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Mom, Dad, Nee-chan, we have something to say." said Shuuya. Tsubomi, Kousuke, and Shuuya all had serious expressions on their faces. Mom, Dad, and I looked at each other, wondering what was up.

"Sure." said Mom. "What is it you would like to say?" Kousuke looked down at his hands.

"We'd like to move out of this house." said Tsubomi, after a moment of hesitation. My eyes widened. What were they saying? What did they mean?

"We love you all, and this house, and I really mean it. But a bunch of friends of ours have been planning to rent an apartment together, and we would like to join them." said Kousuke.

"You mean the... 'Blindfold Gang'?" I asked. The Blindfold Gang was a newly formed gang that consisted of my siblings, Marry, Momo, Takane (who now goes by the name of Ene), Shintaro, Hibiya, and Haruka (who now goes by the name of Konoha). They decided to form this gang to defend themselves and simply to have fun.

"Yeah, the Blindfold Gang. It's going to be our base." said Shuuya. "Also, well, we've been a handful ever since around ten years ago, so we want to, what's the word? Ease your burden, I guess."

"You haven't been a handful, my dears. You've been my happiness." Mom finally spoke up. "But if that's what you want, your happiness is my happiness. Have fun with your friends!" Dad nodded along.

"We want what's best for you." said Dad.

"Mom, Dad..." said Tsubomi. The three of them got up and gave Mom and Dad a hug.

"If you ever need help or money or anything like that, don't be afraid to ask." said Dad. Shuuya nodded. After they released each other from the embrace, they turned to me.

"Don't worry, Onee-chan, it's not anything that you've done or anything like that. Onee-chan's been of such great help over the years, and you've never done anything that would anger us." said Tsubomi.

"I know our decision may cause you to think a lot, and overthink a lot too. It's definitely not Onee-chan's fault or anything like that." said Kousuke.

"We know that Nee-chan's been trying hard to get us to smile and laugh. You've tried so hard over these ten years to wipe away our sadness, to be the hero that saves us from sadness." said Shuuya. He smiled. "Nee-chan, we've gotten the "happiness" we deserved, and it's all thanks to you!" I smiled, the tears already threatening to fall out.

The thought of having given them happiness makes me so happy.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Um, Seiji... Kurozawa, was it?" I asked. "What is it?" I had been called up to the school rooftop by one of my previous classmates. We never really talked much and we've only had one class in my sophomore year last year, so I wasn't quite familiar with him.

"Yeah, Tateyama-san, my name's Seiji Kurozawa. Thank you for remembering it." he said, smiling. Something about that smile made me shiver.

"N-No problem..." I said, trying to maintain a smile. "So, what is it?" He took a few steps closer, and I stepped back until my back touched the bars.

"I really like you, Tateyama-san, will you go out with me?" he asked. I gasped. Was that a confession? To me? As a typical teenage high school girl, I've always dreamed of being confessed by someone. I was about to give him a chance when a face flashed across my mind. The face of one of my best friends, and someone I've been, well, in love with for what seemed like forever. He was smart, and although he seemed as if he was mean, he's actually just not good with expression his emotions. I really... Love him...

"I'm sorry, but I already have someone I like." I said, bowing. "I'd be glad to be friends with you, Kurozawa-kun, though." He bit his lip. I averted my gaze. I felt slightly sorry for him, but... I loved Shintaro.

"Is that so..." he murmured. "Everyone's the same, even you... I thought you'd be different... Everyone, everyone... They should all just go die!" His voice increased in volume, and he started pushing me back. He had great strength, and he managed to lift my feet from the ground. My body tumbled back, and I felt the sensation of falling. My eyes widened. I was falling.

And then everything went black.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

I blacked out for a few days, stuck in a coma from the fall. The bushes had cushioned my fall, so my life had been saved. I heard from Mom that it was Shintaro who had found me first and stayed by my side. I smiled, feeling a warm feeling in my heart that I recognized. It was happiness.

The moment I woke up, Mom and Dad hugged me, crying and crying. I hugged them back patted them, trying to comfort them. After a little bit of talking, they left to give me some rest, leaving a bouquet of flowers with me. I sat in the hospital bed, smiling at them.

"Ayano!" The door was suddenly flung open, and I looked up. It was Shintaro. He was panting and he looked really tired. He must have run all the way from school.

"Ah, Shintaro!" I said, my smile growing bigger. It had been a long time since I last saw him, and to be honest, I missed him. Shintaro quickly ran over to me and wrapped his arms around me. My eyes widened in surprise, and I could tell he was surprised by his own actions too.

"Are you hurt anywhere? Any wounds? Do they hurt? Are you alright? Do you need anything?" As soon as he released me, these questions tumbled out of his mouth. I couldn't help but laugh.

"That's the first time I've seen Shintaro _this _worried!" I said. I never thought Shintaro would get that worried over me, haha...

"...Of course I'd be worried if the girl I love got hurt!" he said. My eyes widened and both our cheeks turned red. I couldn't believe it. That meant... Did he mean... Could he mean...?

"...E-eh? Eh?! Th-The girl you love... E-eh?! Sh-Shintaro, do you have a fever? A-Are you sick? Oh, did you _drink_? Are you drunk, Shintaro? T-That's not good, you're still a minor!..." I stuttered.

"I'm not drunk! I'm serious!" he said. "I've been in love with you ever since eighth grade when we met! ...I love you, Ayano. W-Will you be my girlfriend?"

I couldn't believe it.

He had been in love with me for such a long time. Just like I was with him. He loved me! We loved each other! Tears rolled down my cheeks, but they weren't tears of sadness.

They were tears of happiness.

I nodded, my face breaking into a smile. The first confession I got didn't end well. But this one... I'm sure we'll reach a "happy end".

"Yes...!" I said. I took his hands in mine, and we smiled.

Shintaro, I love you!

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

My theory on this topic, "Ayano's Theory of Happiness", is not complex, but it has taken up a great part of my life. It has also been influenced by many events that I went through.

Ever since I was little, I tried to be everyone's hero. I tried to be someone that would chase away sadness and bring along happiness instead. I wanted to make people laugh and smile all they wanted.

My first "patients" were my parents. I did everything I could to make them smile. I wanted them to be happy, and I wanted to do something for them. It's not easy raising kids, let alone one then four, so I wanted them to be happy during the process.

My second "patients" were my siblings. Tsubomi, Kousuke, and Shuuya had sad pasts that they wanted to leave but couldn't escape from. I tried and tried to put smiles on their faces; becoming their hero, wearing the red scarf, playing those hero games, pretending to be a lifesaver... I wanted them to be happy during the days ahead of them.

My third "patient" was Shintaro. He had been sad and slightly depressed, and I wanted my existence to brighten his future. I followed him around and tried everything to make him smile; and he eventually did. I wanted him to be happy no matter what happens in the future.

I've been the "older sister" figure for much of my life, and it is the older sister's duty to look out for the younger ones.

And here I present the most important part of "Ayano's Theory of Happiness":

"That happiness, ah, how strange it is... That feeling... And as tomorrow breaks, I hope you'll love it too."

* * *

**_Chapter 015: Otsukimi Recital_**

_ "Hey, Marry, have you seen Hibiya? I can't find him anywhere..." I said. Marry looked up from the storybook she was reading. She looked around and thought._

_"I remember he headed out early this morning... He didn't look really happy..." she said. I furrowed my brows. That elementary schooler was never one of the energetic ones, but something about this didn't seem normal. _

_"Did he saw where he was going?" I asked. Marry thought harder._

_"I think he mentioned visiting a girl...? When I asked him who she was, he just looked even sadder and didn't answer me..." she said. My eyes widened. "I wonder who she is..." Marry said. I turned around and looked at the calendar on the wall._

_Of course. Why didn't I think of that?_

_"Thanks, Marry!" I said, dashing to the door._

_"E-Eh? Momo-chan? Where are you going?" she asked. I quickly put on my shoes and opened the door._

_"I'll be back!" I called out, and ran out. _

_That stupid elementary schooler, he must be breaking down now..._

_August 15th._

_And when it comes to August 15th, Hibiya, and a girl, there's only one possibility of where he was going._

_"He's visiting Hiyori Asahina's grave."_

* * *

**Did you like it? Did you like it? :)) I hope you liked this chapter, and as usual, review, favorite, follow, etc. :))) Thank you so much for sticking with me, we've got around 6 more chapters until the end!**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	15. 015: Otsukimi Recital

I, Momo Kisaragi, have mixed feelings about Hibiya Amamiya.

I mean, I can't help but think negatively about him, you know? He's an annoying 'elementary schooler', and he doesn't have any respect for his upperclassmen. He's so annoying and he calls me an "Oba-san"! Can you believe that? I'm only 17 and a junior in high school! And a super-idol! How could you call me an "Oba-san"?!

But when he's more honest and not being annoying, he's a really good kid. When he's serious, he can listen to you and he would care for you in his heart. He's actually really mature, and honestly more mature than me, haha...

See? I like him and dislike him at the same time.

Wait. I don't like him in _that _way, okay? Okay? You've got it all wrong. I really don't...!

But I do care about him. Like... An older sister would to a little brother... I think...

And besides, Hibiya's in love with Hiyori, even though she...

That's why he broke down so hard on August 15th.

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"Hey, Marry, have you seen Hibiya-kun? I can't find him anywhere..." I said. Marry looked up from the storybook she was reading. She looked around and thought.

"I remember he headed out early this morning... He didn't look really happy..." she said. I furrowed my brows. That elementary schooler was never one of the energetic ones, but something about this didn't seem normal.

"Did he say where he was going?" I asked. Marry thought harder.

"I think he mentioned visiting a girl...? When I asked him who she was, he just looked even sadder and didn't answer me..." she said. My eyes widened. "I wonder who she is..." Marry said. I turned around and looked at the calendar on the wall.

Of course. Why didn't I think of that?

"Thanks, Marry!" I said, dashing to the door.

"E-Eh? Momo-chan? Where are you going?" she asked. I quickly put on my shoes and opened the door.

"I'll be back!" I called out, and ran out.

That stupid elementary schooler, he must be breaking down now...

August 15th.

And when it comes to August 15th, Hibiya, and a girl, there's only one possibility of where he was going.

"He's visiting Hiyori Asahina's grave."

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

I found him wandering in the streets, looking glum. I took a few deep breaths and caught up to him.

"Hibiya-kun!" I said cheerfully, patting him on the back. He quickly turned around, looking surprised.

"What do you want, Oba-san?" he asked. My expression immediately changed when I heard those words, but I sighed and let it go. I had noticed that his face held the tracks of tears that had been dried off by the heat. He must have already visited Hiyori's grave.

"Don't call me Oba-san!" I said. Hibiya sighed.

"Fine." he said. He looked up to the sky, and murmured: "No matter what I do, it's probably useless..." My eyes widened. I tried to think of what to say to him. I needed to say something that would cheer him up. "Don't give up!", or something like that? That's definitely not enough...!

"Then you gotta cheer up more, or tomorrow's going to daze too!" I said, smiling. I took his hand and pulled him forward.

"W-what are you doing?! Where are we going?!" he yelled, trying to shake off my hand, but I held him firmly.

"Secret!" I said. "You'll see when we get there!" I pulled him down the streets, ignoring his protests.

Was that a little too forceful?

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

The sun was shining bright, which wasn't unexpected for an August day. I had pulled Hibiya into a family restaurant that I was quite fond of personally. I liked almost all of their dishes, and the moment I sat down, I picked up the menu and started studying it happily.

"Hey, hey, Hibiya-kun, what do you want to get?" I asked him excitedly.

"I'm not hungry." he replied. As if that was a signal, his stomach started grumbling. Hibiya and I stared at each other. I gave him a sly smile, and he blushed and looked away.

"Okay, I'm hungry." he admitted. "You order first." I smiled and nodded. Excitedly, I called the waitress over.

"This, and this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and this too!" I said excitedly. I saw Hibiya's eyes grow huge.

"Aren't you ordering too much?!" he said. I looked at him and shook my head.

"No? I'm still wondering if this is enough..." I said.

"You're really a cow." he murmured.

"Did you say something?!" I asked him angrily. He laughed.

"Nothing!" he said. My eyes widened, then I smiled. Hibiya was smiling. He was smiling again... That's great...

Soon the waitress came with our dishes. I started to eat excitedly, and I smiled at this taste, this familiar taste.

"Hibiya-kun, you eat too!" I said. "This pizza is really good!" Hibiya took a piece of the pizza grudgingly and took a bite.

"It _is_ good..." he said. I smiled.

"Right?" I said. "Eat lots, we've got plenty of food left, and plenty of places still left to go to!"

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Yes, the arcade!" I shouted excitedly, sprinting straight to the shooting game booth that Ene and Onii-chan always took to themselves. "I've always wanted to come here with just Hibiya-kun!" He looked away, and I could see the faint tint of a red on his cheeks.

"Why would that be?" he asked.

"Because you look easy to beat?" I said, looking innocent. _Thank god my acting skills have had some practice... _Hibiya's eyebrows twitched and he grabbed the blue toy gun connected to the game.

"Then you'll see, today, how weak you are!" he said. My mouth curved into a smile.

"Those words should be said after you beat me!" I said, grabbing the opposing pink toy gun. "The person that lost would have to listen to the person that won for today no matter what!" Hibiya smiled confidently.

"Deal." he said, and pressed start. The timer started and we started to play. After a few minutes, the timer reached zero and the results came out.

"Yes!" I shouted, jumping into the air at the sight of the big, red "WIN!" sign on my side of the screen. I held out a 'V' to Hibiya, who twitched his eyebrows in anger.

"Now, our next destination!"

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Uwah, Hibiya-kun, look! That's a _huge_ whale over there! Look, look!" I said, pulling him through the aquarium.

"Stop running, w-wait!" said Hibiya from behind me.

No matter what, I did not let go of his hand.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Which idol sings her own songs at the karaoke?" said Hibiya, sighing as I selected "Kisaragi Attention by Momo Kisaragi".

"Well, I want to, and I can!" I said. "And besides, I thought you would know this song well. Isn't it the most played song on your phone?" I laughed as Hibiya's face turned redder than ever.

"What the- You stalker! What the fuck, Oba-san!" he yelled.

"It's not my fault that you left your phone open and your lists are sorted by the times a song has been played! Now, stop arguing! The song is about to start!" As the familiar song I've heard a million times started, I couldn't help but start clapping to the rhythm like the audio did. I noticed that Hibiya had a faint smile on his face, and I couldn't help but smile as well. As the song started, we both raised our microphones to our mouths.

_Wow - where am I going to go?  
__I dunno if regular clothes will work out.  
__Ahh, everything's getting given up this afternoon._

_Wow - if I wear those tall heels,  
__It'll be a little hard to walk.  
__So I'll just throw on this hood,  
__And try not to be found out._

_In the shopping district, through back alleys,  
__Ah, my heart is kind of starting to pound.  
__Suddenly, the wind blows, lifts my hood,  
__And I'm the center of attention.  
__"I guess I'm not having a regular weekend after all..."_

_It's so harsh, I want to give up.  
__Sure, you give me a full house,  
__But it really makes me blue.  
__So I get anxious - I really stand out.  
__It's so harsh, I want to run away -  
__That's what I start to hope for.  
__"Don't look at me anymore!"  
__But I stuff the words away in my pocket._

"Uwah, Hibiya-kun, you're really good at singing, aren't you?" I said.

"It's not like you haven't heard me sing before..." he said. "We've been to the karaoke so many times already with the gang..."

"That's true." I said, laughing. "Oh, let's do that thing together!" Seeing Hibiya's blank look, I sighed. "The 'steal your heart' thing! Ah, no time to talk, just do it with me later, please!" Hibiya looked like he was going to protest, but it was time to sing again.

_Wow - for such a long time,  
__I've sort of caught people's attention,  
__And I started getting used to even that._

_Wow - I've heard it before,  
__But I can't exactly seem to remember.  
__"Argh, geez! My constitution sucks!"  
__But of course, I didn't ever say it._

_As the streets switch into panic,  
__It just makes me want to give up on being an idol.  
__"To think it would be like this..."  
__But I thought so foolishly and simply then,  
__And I planned out my dreams in the glare of the stage lights._

_It's so harsh, but I can't say it -  
__I'm drowned in cheering, but...  
__"Am I really that good...?"  
__I'm just a bore - I don't get it!  
__It's so harsh, I want to vanish -  
__But I can't speak up  
__"No. You're making me cry!"  
__But I bury away the words in my pocket..._

_You can't do this anymore.  
__You hear the cheering, don't you?  
__The things you dreamed of are already right in front of you.  
__If it's "harsh," then change it -  
__You know you're not alone!  
__Now say it -  
__And no need to sound too stylish._

_Ahh, I think I can do it!  
__I feel like my heart's going to burst,  
__It's overflowing so much.  
__So can I steal yours away?!_

Together, Hibiya and I put out our first two fingers in the motion that I had done on my first live and all other live performances onwards when this song was performed. I looked at him, smiling surprisedly, and he looked away, looking embarrassed.

_This "dream" is packed to the brim  
__With all that I want to say.  
__So don't take your eyes off it!  
__And so tomorrow,  
__Let's keep skipping ahead!_

"Ah, Hibiya-kun, you did it! You did it!" I said, hugging him excitedly.

"Sh-Shut up, Oba-san! You wanted me to!" said Hibiya, pushing me away. I laughed.

"Now, the next song!"

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Hibiya-kun, Hibiya-kun, try this panda onesie! It's so cute!" I said, throwing him the animal costume. Hibiya gave the costume a disgusted look.

"Why on Earth would I wear something like this?" he asked incredulously.

"Because you lost in the shooting game! You have to do what I say!" I said proudly.

"Fuck." Hibiya cursed under his breath.

"Don't swear, don't swear!" I said, laughing.

"Don't treat me like a kid!" said Hibiya, grudgingly taking the animal costume and putting it on. I took a chicken costume from the rack and put it on. I pulled him into the photo booth and I pressed the button.

"Why are you standing that far away?" I asked, throwing my arms around Hibiya and pulling him close.

"Wait, wh-" Hibiya didn't get to finish his sentence, as his words were cut off by the snapping sound of the camera. I had smiled when the picture was taken, but Hibiya had a surprised look on his face. I giggled, and Hibiya looked away.

"Now, next costume, next costume!" I said cheerfully, pulling him back to the rack. I chose Chinese-themed clothes for us, and we changed into them.

"Ha!" I said, sticking my hands out and striking a pose. Hibiya stood beside me, a speechless look on his face and his hands hidden in the sleeves.

"Next costume!" I said excitedly, pulling him back out. My eyes fell onto a specific costume, and I smiling slyly.

"Hibiya-kun! Wear this!" I said, throwing him the costume. He caught it and his face immediately heated up as he saw what it was.

"What the fuck is this?! You think I would wear this shit?!" he shouted.

"Please, Hibiya-kun! For me?" I asked, giving him my best idol pleading look. He turned away.

"Hell no! I'm not going to wear a fucking maid costume for you, Oba-san!" he said. I sighed. That didn't work? Damn, that's a shame.

"You still have to do whatever I say!" I said, smiling. "You lost the bet, remember?" Hibiya's face scrunched up.

"Fuck you." he said. I laughed, and leaned in close to him.

"You wish." I said, sticking out my tongue out him. Hibiya's face heated up and he walked off to change. Once we finished changing, we went back into the photo booth.

"I can't believe this." said Hibiya, clutching the skirt of the maid costume. I laughed.

"Smile, Hibiya-kun!" I said, pressing the button. Hibiya's face was scarlet, while I was smiling.

"Let's take our last picture with just our normal clothes!" I said.

"Thank god you're not going to make me wear some other embarrassing costume." he said. Seeing the look on my face, his mouth dropped open. "Fuck. Why did I give you more ideas?" I laughed.

"Don't worry, don't worry, Hibiya! Go change back for our last picture!" I said. Once we finished changing, we met up in the booth.

"Let's take a picture closer to the camera!" I said, pulling him over. "And smile more, Hibiya-kun! Your expressions have been all so depressing!" He sighed. We held up peace signs with our hands and spread our mouths into wide smiles. I put our pictures in my pocket and smiled.

"Next destination!"

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"This ice cream is good." said Hibiya, taking a bite out of his chocolate ice cream. I smiled, letting the strawberry ice cream melt in my mouth.

"Right?" I said. "I've loved ice cream from that stand ever since I was really young! You like it?" Hibiya nodded. We were walking on the roads heading towards our next destination.

"I like it." he said. I smiled.

"Hey, Hibiya-kun..." I said, turning around to him. Hibiya looked up. I held out my hand, smiling. "How about we go together? Let's destroy all those lonesome feelings!" Hibiya looked at me for a few seconds, then smiled. He reached out his hand to mine, but before he could take it, a sudden scream of pain that didn't sound quite human came from the ground. We both looked down and I saw that I had stepped on a cat's tail.

"Eh?! What!? Really?! Ah, I'm sorry!" I said, turning around to the cat and apologizing. Hibiya looked at me incredulously. The cat gave me a few scratches and ran off, and from the corner of my eye, I saw that Hibiya's expression had changed to sadness.

"Could we... stop here for a second?" asked Hibiya. He sat down on a bench and I nodded.

"I'll go buy us some drinks!" I said, running off to the vending machine. This is bad, this is bad... Hibiya's expression had changed immediately, he's definitely breaking down again... Ah, it's all my fault... I came back with two cans of coke and I handed one to him.

"I don't even know what's going on..." he murmured, holding in his tears once again. I clenched my fists. Sighing all the time and shutting your eyes, this is desperate! He opened the can of coke and to our surprise, it spilt all over us. In my state of surprise, I lost balance and I started to fall, pulling Hibiya with me. We were both covered in coke and sprawled on the ground. I got up, and smiled awkwardly at him.

"I-If you don't give it all you've got, your memories will vanish into yesterday!" I said cheerfully. Seeing that Hibiya's expression didn't change, I grabbed his hand and pulled him off once again, dashing down the streets, no doubt against his will.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Our clothes soon dried in the sunlight, and we went to many other places. However, Hibiya's expression did not change. He was feeling so blue, and I couldn't do anything about it... We walked passed the park, hand in hand. I had grabbed his hand in another attempt to cheer him up, but it didn't work... As the sunlight was locked away in a moment, soundless tears started to spill and fade. I widened my eyes, surprised. Hibiya himself was also extremely surprised.

"I wanted us to be together..." he said, his tears continuing to spill. "Hiyori..." I knelt in front of him, holding one of his hands but not able to do anything else. This cruel, small world bares its huge fangs, and it weighs down on his heart... I felt my heart clench at the sight of Hibiya crying like a baby. Even if my meager words can't get through anymore, I want to give him help. I want to help him. Please, God, grant my wish!

Gradually, the lights flickered on one by one, and it became quite dark outside. I wanted to do something for him. Hibiya has always been someone I could trust and one of my best friends. He stopped me from making a decision I would regret for the rest of my life. That's why... I want to do something for him.

I grabbed his hands and pulled him down the street. He looked at me, surprised, but he didn't pull away. We approached a more crowded area, and people around us started whispering. They recognized me as super idol Momo Kisaragi, but I didn't care. Right now, I was Momo Kisaragi, NO.5 of the Blindfold Gang.

"It's not absolutely hopeless! If you wish for it, you'll meet again!" I shouted. Hibiya's eyes widened. I smiled at him, and I started to sing.

_"No matter what I do, it's probably useless"  
__I was watching a face about to cry  
__Words like "Don't give up"  
__Is definitely not enough!  
__"Then you gotta cheer up more  
__Or tomorrow is going to daze too!"  
__I pull you out  
__A bit forceful?_

_To the sunlight, feeling blue  
__Truthfully, I'm worried about you  
__The eyes become watery  
__"I'm such a coward, it's done for…."  
_

_But I believe, because it's you  
__Look straight forward  
__When it's really done for, I'll support your heart  
__Giving up saying "I'd rather"  
__That's not an option  
__Lets go together, yeah?  
__Come on, lets break "alone"!_

This was the song I had started working on recently. I had finished the tune weeks again, but I had been struggling with the lyrics. And today has inspired me to finish it. I had been singing the first verse only by myself at first, but then I heard music. My eyes widened and I turned towards the source. It was the band from my agency! I had showed them the first draft of the tune before, and they had remembered it! I smiled. This was great, but what's the best is still coming!

_"I don't understand what's going on"  
__You still look like you're going to cry  
__Closing your eyes with only sighs  
__This is not good!  
__"You gotta try harder  
__Or feeling will disappear to tomorrow!"  
__Running through the city  
__Definitely forceful_

_Evening, feeling blue  
__The sunlight starts to go away  
__At that moment  
__Immediately a mournful face  
__Without a sound, a tear dropped and disappeared_

_This horribly small world  
__Bares its huge fangs  
__Makes your heart look down and say  
__"I wanted to be with you"  
_

_Even if small words  
__Won't reach you at all  
__I want to be your help  
__"I want to help you. Come on, make it come true!"_

_"I believe, because it's you"  
__Shout out your true voice  
__"It's definitely not done for!  
__If you wish for it, you can meet again!"_

_With a deep breath  
__To the moon far away, the cowardly you  
__Shouted  
__"I'll do it!"  
__….well, that was a bit cool._

The moment I finished, all the bystanders rushed up to me, asking for photographs and autographs. Ah, what should I do? I can't possibly be surrounded now! To my surprise, Hibiya grabbed my hand.

"Let's go, Momo!" he said, running off and pulling me along. We escaped to an area with less people, and we stopped to catch our breaths.

"...Hibiya-kun, are you crying?" I asked. He turned away, looking embarrassed.

"N-No!" he said, sniffling. I laughed.

"Your voice has given it all away!" I said. He clenched his fists and faced the distant moon.

"I'll give it a shot!" he yelled. I blinked, and I smiled.

...Did that sound kinda cool? ...I guess.

But I'll keep these feelings a secret for now.

"That's great!" I said, tousling his hair. "You've finally cheered up!"

"Uwahh... Stop touching my hair!" he said. I looked up to the sky excitedly, and Hibiya fixed his hair, sighing.

"Look, look, Hibiya-kun! It's a full moon!" I said. Hibiya reached for my hand and he grabbed it. The moment I turned to look at him, his face turned red and he looked away. I smiled and I took his hand.

"No matter what, I'll always support you!"

* * *

_**Chapter 016: Yuukei Yesterday**_

_"Hey, Konoha, what's this letter?" asked Kano, holding up the envelope with blue trim. Konoha's eyes widened and he took the envelope from him. _

_"...An invitation to an art college in London." said Konoha quietly. "Full scholarship. They want me to go there and get used to the surroundings before I attend. If I decide to go." Everyone's eyes widened, not able to believe what they heard. Nobody spoke, until Actor stepped up._

_"Have you told Ene?"_

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading, this story is also coming to an end soon, and I thank everyone that has stuck to it. There's still a few chapters to come, so don't worry! Please review and tell me what you think! **

**~Chinnie Ai**


	16. 016: Yuukei Yesterday

_Congratulations, Mr. Haruka Kokonose,_

_You have been invited to attend College of the Arts in London, England for your college years. We have seen your skills in the paintings you have presented in various art fairs and the drawings you have posted online. We are quite impressed with your work and we have decided to give you a full scholarship at our school. If you wish to attend, we would like it if you spent your remaining months of your senior year in London, as it is important to get used to new surroundings as well. We have enclosed plane tickets with this letter as well._

_Please consider this option, and we await your reply._

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Hey, isn't this the letter that arrived for Konoha a few days ago? What's it doing, lying around here?" asked Hibiya, picking up the white envelope. It wasn't sealed, so Konoha must have already read it. The gang, all members except Ene (who had to stay after school for a quiz she had failed) and Konoha (who went out to buy snacks), looked up and gathered around.

"I thought it was weird. We never get letters here, even though we have a mailbox." said Momo.

"What, is it a love letter?" Actor joked. Kido took the letter from Hibiya and examined it.

"I don't think so..." she said.

"It looks pretty formal, doesn't it?" said Seto. Kano took the letter out of Kido's hands and started to open it.

"We'll only know after we read it!" said Kano, the letter already opened up in his hands.

"Eh? You're going to read it?" asked Marry.

"Isn't it horrible to read someone's letter without them knowing? That's like, invasion of privacy." said Shintaro, sipping his can of coke.

"You probably hack into Nee-chan's phone and read her texts or something." said Kano. Shintaro choked on his coke.

"I would never do that!" he shouted. "What, Momo! Don't look at your own brother like that!" he said, upon seeing Momo's disgusted expression.

"Overprotective much?" snickered Actor. Shintaro's face heated up.

"Why is it about me all of a sudden? I thought you guys were going to read the letter!" he said.

"So you want to invade Konoha's privacy too?" said Hibiya. Shintaro kicked the trash can beside him and let out a yell of frustration.

"Fucking hell," he said. "I hate you all." The gang laughed.

"No you don't," said Momo. "You love us all." At that moment, Konoha came back from the store, holding two bags full of snacks.

"I'm back." he said, setting the snacks down on the table.

"Hey, Konoha, what's this letter?" asked Kano, holding up the envelope with blue trim. Konoha sucked in a breath and he took the envelope and letter from him.

"...An invitation to an art college in London." said Konoha quietly. "Full scholarship. They want me to go there and get used to the surroundings before I attend. If I decide to go." Everyone's eyes widened, not able to believe what they heard. Although that was definitely a great offer and an offer that one would definitely agree to, the gang has dealt with issues like these. Momo almost accepted an offer of going overseas for her idol career, but she had declined, thinking of her friends and how she would never want to leave them. Konoha was obviously caught in this dilemma as well. Nobody spoke, until Actor stepped up.

"Have you told Ene?" she asked. Konoha's eyes widened, and his hands formed fists at his sides.

"...That seems like a no." said Actor, running a hand through her messy hair.

"Are you going to go, Konoha?" asked Hibiya.

"...I don't know." he said. Momo sighed.

"It's a very good opportunity though. It's a famous college and they've offered you a scholarship. This has to do with your future!" she said. Konoha nodded.

"I know. I know, but..." he said. Shintaro stepped up.

"It's all up to you. Take this opportunity wisely, Konoha. They won't offer it to you a second time. Your college can affect your job and your future, as well as where you might settle." said Shintaro. Konoha thought for a moment, then nodded.

"...I guess I'll go..."

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Hey, Ene..." said Konoha. Ene didn't look up from her shooting game.

"Yeah? I'm in the middle of a game, so make it quick." she said. Konoha sighed and shook his head.

"Nothing..." he said, walking back to his room.

"You still couldn't tell her?" asked Shintaro, sitting at his desk with his computer in front of him and a can of coke beside him. Konoha shook his head.

"She was in the middle of a game. You know how focused she is when she's playing Dead Bullet." he said, sitting down on the bottom bunk.

"You have to tell her sometime. And that'd better be sometime soon. Make it quick, just like ripping off a Band-Aid. Better sooner than later." said Shintaro.

"I know..." said Konoha. "But it's just so hard to start. And whenever I finally gather up the courage, she's busy or in the middle of something." Shintaro turned around in his chair.

"Have you talked to... Kuroha? About your decision?" he asked. "Maybe if you tell him first, then you'll be able to tell Ene. And Kuroha's your brother, anyways. He needs to know."

"That's a good idea..." said Konoha, getting up and walking out of the room.

"Hey, Konoha! What are you doing?" asked Actor.

"I'm going to call Kuroha and tell him about the letter." said Konoha, dialing Kuroha's number. Actor leaned in close to the phone to listen along.

"What do you want?" asked an irritated voice from the other side.

"Kuroha, I need to tell you something." said Konoha.

"Then speak." said Kuroha. Konoha sighed.

"I got a letter from an art college in London, offering me full scholarship. And I just wanted to let you know I'm going to go. I'm leaving tomorrow." he said. There was a silence.

"Oh." Kuroha answered. Actor snatched the phone out of Konoha's hands.

"I'll give it back soon, just wait!" she said quietly to Konoha, who nodded.

"Kuroha, you fucking idiot! Is that all you're going to say to your twin brother that's leaving for an art college overseas?! You might not see him again for years!" Actor hissed, walking away from Konoha.

"...Actor?" asked Kuroha. His voice sounded murderous. "Why are you there? Why do you have Konoha's phone? Why are you listening in on our conversation? Why are you with him? Why are you with him?"

"I took the phone from him. But that's not the point. The point is that you're only responding with "oh" when you heard that you're not going to see your twin brother for years." she said.

"And what's the problem with that? He doesn't like me anyways." said Kuroha. Actor could see him shrugging over the phone.

"You know that's not true, Kuroha. Konoha has been trying to get along with you for a long time now, but it's just you who's rejecting him. He wants to be brothers again, brothers that get along! But you keep shutting yourself behind that door and refusing to let anyone in! He's going to leave, and maybe this is when you can change something!" Actor spat. There was a silence, and then Kuroha hung up with no warning beforehand.

"Fucking-" Actor glared at the phone and stomped back to Konoha.

"Sorry. He hung up on me." she said apologetically to Konoha. He shook his head.

"No, it's fine. I only needed to tell him that." he said, smiling sadly. Actor was about to comfort him when Konoha's phone buzzed with the text tone. It was Kuroha.

**Kuroha: **_Congrats. Good luck in London. Keep in touch._

Konoha and Actor looked at each other, and their mouths widened into huge smiles.

Actor's words had reached him...

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Whoa, what is this? Today's dinner is so grand!" said Ene, sitting down at the dinner table and staring at all the food.

"It _is _a lot..." said Momo, her mouth watering.

"Wipe away that drool, Oba-san." said Hibiya, sighing. Momo wiped her mouth with one swift movement.

"But it's meant to be grand, right?" asked Marry. Everyone turned to look at her. "Since this is our last dinner with Konoha, it should be a feast!" Everyone's eyes widened. The others gave Marry a look that said "we're fucked". Marry, realizing her mistake, covered her mouth with her hands. This was one of the best and worst timings to say this.

"...Last?" asked Ene, looking at Konoha. "What are you talking about, Marry?"

"...I got a letter from an art college in London, offering to give me full scholarship. They want me to go there and get used to the surroundings first." Konoha spoke up. Ene clenched her fists under the table.

"Ene, if you don't want me to go, I won't go." said Konoha softly. That was when Ene seemed to snap back to reality. She laughed.

"What are you talking about? I can't possibly stand in the way of your future with my answer! You should totally go! It's a great opportunity, isn't it? Now, now, let's eat!" she said.

The sadness behind her smile was hidden well.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

The day that Konoha had to leave came, and everyone (including Ayano) gathered to say goodbye.

"Konoha, we'll miss you." said Kido. Konoha nodded.

"I'll miss you too, Kido." he said. "And your cooking." Kido laughed.

"When you come back to visit, I'll make you more." she said. Konoha nodded.

"See you, Konoha!" said Kano, putting an arm around Konoha. "Have fun there!" Konoha nodded.

"Yeah. I'll miss you all." he said.

"Safe trip!" said Seto. Marry and Momo nodded.

"You'd better come back and visit sometime!" said Hibiya. Konoha nodded.

"Of course." he said. He turned to Shintaro, who smiled.

"Hey. I'll miss you. You can always call us if you need anything. Have a safe trip... Haruka-san." he said. Konoha's eyes widened at the mention of his real name. That was what Shintaro called him before he took on the name of Konoha, and that brought back memories.

"Haruka-san, please have fun in London!" said Ayano, smiling.

"Haruka! It's been a long time since I've called you 'Haruka', hasn't it? Anyways, don't forget about us! And have fun!" said Actor. Konoha nodded.

"Of course." he said, smiling. But the smile soon disappeared when he turned to Ene.

"Why are you looking so sad?" said Ene, a dazzling smile on her face. She punched Konoha in the arm lightly. "You're going somewhere incredible! You're going to have the time of your life! Don't worry, we'll meet again someday!" Konoha paused, then nodded.

"I'm glad you think that way, Ene. I'll miss you." he said. He picked up his luggages, and headed out to the taxi bound for the airport. The moment Konoha left, Ene walked back to her room and closed the door.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"What are you doing, Ene?" asked Actor, walking into their room and sitting down next to her twin sister. Ene shook her head.

"Nothing much. Konoha left already, right?" she asked. Actor nodded.

"Yeah. ...You're really going to miss him, aren't you?" she asked. Ene laughed.

"Yeah, I'll miss him, but he's going to be so happy over there! He got into an art college with full scholarship! That's such a big deal! He's loved art ever since he was little, so this is his dream come true! I'm really happy for him!" she said, laughing. Actor's expression grew sadder.

"Ene... You're really not being truthful to yourself right now." she said. Ene's eyes widened.

"W-What are you talking about, Actor?" she asked, stuttering. Actor sighed.

"Ene. I'm your twin sister. I _know_ you. I might even know more about you than you do!" she said, laughing dryly. "You actually don't want him to leave, right?" Seeing that Ene stayed silent, Actor continued on. "You want him to stay by your side, like he always has, and you don't want him to leave you."

"You're really not honest..." said Actor, sighing. Ene turned to face Actor.

"Do you have the right to say that about me? You're not honest either, Actor!" she said. Actor blinked, her face heating up slightly.

"A-About what?" she asked.

"You know what I'm talking about." said Ene.

"That's not the point right now! Ene, if you don't chase after Konoha, you'll regret it! You'll definitely regret it!" said Actor.

"Do you think it's that easy?! I can't possible stand in the way of his future! His future is so bright! If he stays because of me, I would have basically ruined his life! Why would I want to do that? Who am _I _to him?!" Ene yelled.

"Who are you to him? Is that a real question?" asked Actor, exasperated. "Ene, he said it himself. If you didn't want him to go, he would have stayed. He would do that much for you! And you don't want him to leave! Chase after him!"

"But... I don't have a good reason to do that! I can't just chase after him like that!" said Ene.

"Ene. I'm sure you know what you really feel in your heart. What do you want to tell him?" asked Actor. "Is it "Don't leave"? Is it "I'm sorry"? I don't think so." Ene's eyes widened, and she paused.

"...I love him." she said. She threw the door open and ran outside. She finally realized. These feelings that she had had for years. She finally realized. She was really an idiot. They were so obvious; why did she never realize them?

"Hey, Ene, what are you doing? Where are you going?" asked Shintaro.

"The airport." said Ene, tying the shoelaces of her sneakers. "I'm going to bring Konoha back."

"How are you getting there?! The airport's pretty far!" said Momo. Ene stood up.

"How else? I'm running." she said.

"Now wait a second." said Actor, pulling Ene back. "I know we're twins, but we're still not the same person. You can't possibly run to the airport. Even _I_ would be really, really tired if I ran. Wait a second." Actor pulled out her phone and dialed a number skillfully.

"You have two minutes. Get over here on your bike." she said, and hung up. Ene blinked. Soon, they heard an irritated knock at the door. Actor opened it, and a figure clad in black showed up in the doorway.

"You're really good at ordering people, aren't you, _princess_?" said Kuroha, looking extremely irritated. "What's happening?"

"Ene's chasing after Konoha. Drive her to the airport." said Actor, pushing Ene forward. Scarlet eyes met the golden ones, and Kuroha sighed.

"Come. We don't have time." he said, walking out of the apartment and hopping onto his motorbike. He put on his helmet and threw the spare one to Ene.

"Thanks, Actor! See you!" shouted Ene as she sat down and put on the helmet. Kuroha put his foot on the gas pedal hard, and Ene had to grab Kuroha to prevent herself from falling off. The scenery flashed past in a blur, and the wind blew hard, messing up their hair.

"Aren't you going too fast? You're going to get a ticket!" Ene yelled.

"Me getting a ticket and you getting to Konoha in time, which one's more important?" asked Konoha. Ene sighed.

"...Why are you helping me?" asked Ene. "You hate me. You've never been nice to me in all these years. Why the change all of a sudden?" Kuroha's eyes widened. He sighed.

"I can't possibly look at the two of you like that anymore. You really are pitiful humans. The both of you. You're way too dense with your own feelings. It's kind of pathetic, really." he said.

"You didn't come simply because Actor told you to?" asked Ene. Kuroha laughed.

"That, too." he said. They stayed in silence for the rest of the ride. Soon, the airport came into view. They skidded to a stop, and Ene quickly jumped off, throwing the helmet to Kuroha. She started to rush into the airport, but then she stopped and turned back to the motorbike.

"Kuroha!" she called out. The black-haired teen looked up. "Thanks!"

"Go." he said, smiling. Ene nodded, and started running. She didn't care about the weird stares from the bystanders. All she wanted was to get to Konoha... no, Haruka. Her Haruka, who she wanted to reach before he left her. She spotted the tall boy in the midst of the crowd, getting ready to go to his gate.

"Konoha! KONOHA!" Ene yelled, pushing past people and running towards him. But Konoha did not turn around. Ene gritted her teeth.

"HARUKA!" she yelled. Konoha looked up and turned around. His eyes widened. Ene pushed past the people standing in her way and ran to him.

"Don't go... Don't go, Haruka!" she said. "Everything I said about not caring if you left was a lie! It was all a lie! I really don't want you to leave! Don't leave me, Haruka!"

"Takane..." said Konoha, saying Ene's real name for the first time in a long, long time. Ene clenched her fists. This was it.

"I love you, Haruka!" she said. Konoha's eyes widened. "So I don't want you to leave! Please! Don't leave!" She felt arms surrounding her, and she was pulled into a familiar embrace. Konoha hugged her, his hand caressing her hair.

"I'm so sorry, Takane... I should had never thought about leaving. I can't believe I didn't stay... for the girl I loved so much." he said, smiling. Takane's eyes widened, and tears started to fall.

"Haruka..." she murmured.

"I won't leave you. I promise, from now on, I will be with you. I love you too, Takane." said Haruka. Takane nodded and buried her face into Haruka's chest.

Never has she felt so warm and happy inside.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

The two of them walked out of the airport hand in hand, their minds running with words they wanted to say but they stayed silent. When they walked out of the airport, they stopped at the sight of a figure clad in black.

"Yo," he said. "Guess you're back." Konoha nodded.

"Yeah. I'm not leaving, Kuroha." he said. Kuroha smiled.

"Great." he said. He looked away, looking slightly embarrassed. "Let's... talk again sometime." Konoha blinked, and his mouth widened into a smile.

"Yeah!" he said. Kuroha looked at the two of them.

"So you guys are together now? About time." he said. Ene's face heated up while Konoha nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks, Kuroha." he said.

"Nothing to thank me about." said Kuroha. "You know how to ride my bike, right? Your base's far. Take this back."

"But-" Kuroha cut Konoha off.

"No buts. Take it." he said, throwing the two of them a helmet each.

"Thanks." said Ene. "For everything." Kuroha laughed.

"No need to thank me. See ya." he said, and he walked off. Konoha and Ene looked at each other, and they smiled.

"Now, let's head back! To where we belong..."

* * *

**_Chapter 017: Shounen Brave_**

_The boy I used to be in my childhood was scared of "being alone"._

_The boy I used to be in my childhood hated the word "brave". _

_"P-Please don't hurt me!" I always said, not able to do anything but cry. I was always shaking; then again, I couldn't help it. _

_I was never someone that was "brave" or "strong". I was rather the opposite, really; always crying, in pain, and being bullied._

_I didn't have friends; I couldn't become friends with anyone at the orphanage. I only had a small golden retriever named Hana as my friend. But that was before I met the Blindfold Gang._

* * *

**Thank you for reading, and I'll see you soon!**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	17. 017: Shounen Brave

**Hey guys, sorry for the wait! There's been a lot going on in my life these days, so I put off writing for some time. I haven't written in what seems like a long time, actually, so my writing can be a little rusty. But don't worry, I'm sure I'll do fine. Please enjoy.**

* * *

The boy I used to be in my childhood was scared of "being alone".

The boy I used to be in my childhood hated the word "brave".

"P-Please don't hurt me!" I always said, not able to do anything but cry. I was always shaking; then again, I couldn't help it.

I was never someone that was "brave" or "strong". I was rather the opposite, really; always crying, in pain, and being bullied.

I didn't have friends; I couldn't become friends with anyone at the orphanage. I only had a small golden retriever named Hana as my friend. But that was before I met the Blindfold Gang.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

I've been an orphan for as long as I remember. My biological parents had died so they left me alone, and the orphanage kindly took me in. I was a weak and quiet child, so I was an easy target for the other kids. They often teased and bullied me, mostly about my red eyes, which I grew to hate.

I was the only I knew that had red eyes, so they called me a "freak" and a "monster". I "wasn't normal", and since I never fought back, they kept on bullying me. I hated my red eyes, since I thought they were the reason I got bullied. Oh, how I wished that I had a normal eyes color. It was stupid that they kept teasing me just because of an eye color, but we were all kids back then. They had their insecurities, and so picked on other people to make themselves feel better.

"Leave, you filthy monster, and don't come back!" One day, the kids ganged up on me and threw me out of the orphanage, locking the door. The owner of our orphanage, Maria, was out buying things, so she didn't know. I stared at the door, unable to believe what had happened. I was locked out. I couldn't go back in, and it was starting to rain. I sat down under a tree, wishing the rain would stop, and I started crying.

Suddenly, I heard a small "woof!" from beside me. I looked over, and I saw that it was a small golden retriever. She was also shivering in the rain, just like me. I patted her head, smoothing out her wet fur.

"Do you have a name?" I asked, more to myself than to her. "If not, I'll name you. Let's name you... Hana!" Seeing that she was happy with the name, I smiled.

"Let's become friends!" I said, laughing. "Even though I can't understand your words, I still want to talk to you." I sighed.

"You won't bully me, right?"

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Hana and I became friends immediately, and I persuaded Maria to let her live in the orphanage as well. I realized how nice it was to have a friend by my side. She became the only reason I smiled, and I was so happy with her. The words of the other kids didn't even get to me. Until one night...

I went to get some water in the middle of the night, and I walked passed one of the rooms. I noticed that there were people talking, so I pressed my ear against the door and listened.

"He's so filthy!" said one voice that I recognized to be one of the kids that always bullied me. "That Seto kid. I can't believe how filthy he is!"

"Let's deceive him! He deserves it, anyways." said another kid. "Let's plan something and destroy his life!"

"I hate him!" claimed another voice, clearly feminine. "I hate him so much!"

"He should just go die!" said another kid, laughing. The others joined in. Eyes wide, I sank to my knees, my hand clapped over my mouth to stop myself from crying out. Tears formed in my eyes, and they spilled out within seconds.

The voice of their thoughts echoed in my brain, and they hurt so much. Everyone hated me. Even though I didn't do anything to anger them, they hated me so much. Although I reassured myself that Hana would never hate me, the aching in my heart still didn't stop.

This must be the punishment for wishing for hope...

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"You freak! Don't come back ever again!" The kids had ganged up against me once again. They pushed me to the ground, and I struggled to get up. Beside me, Hana barked, tried to fend of my enemies. But the kids were not intimidated by her. One of them took me by the collar of my shirt and dragged me off. I coughed and sputtered, but he just wouldn't let go.

We reached the river that ran not far from the orphanage. He threw me into the cold water. I thrashed around in the water, trying to reach the riverbank, but I didn't know how to swim. I heard Hana barking not far from me, and I realized that she had jumped in after me. She was trying to save me.

My eyelids felt heavy, and the last things I heard were Hana's barks and the laughs of the merciless kids.

When I regained consciousness, I saw it was dark already. A group of adults had found me. I sat up, and I immediately coughed up water.

"Are you okay, Kousuke?" asked Maria, worried. She sighed. "That's a stupid question. Of course you're not. Let's get you inside and warmed up nicely..." I grabbed her sleeve and she looked at me.

"Maria-san... Where's Hana?" I asked. Maria's expression turned sad. She knelt down and looked into my eyes.

"Kousuke... I'm so sorry." she said. My eyes widened. "But Hana's..."

_No..._

_Don't say those words..._

"She's..."

_Stop...!_

"Dead."

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

From that day onwards, the other kids never bothered me again. They were scared that they would do something horrible and get punished again, but they were more scared of something else.

Me.

Now that Hana was gone, I had no friends. I spent my days staring at the ceiling or other people. I grew to be able to tell what people were thinking just by looking at their expressions.

I thought I wouldn't have to deal with other kids anymore, until Maria told me there would be two new kids arriving that would be sharing a room with me. Oh god, I was scared. I was so scared that the tragedy had to repeat again. No matter how much I prayed, the day the new kids would arrive came.

"This will be your room. You two will share this room with one other boy." I heard Maria say outside the room. I sighed. The kids have come. Maria opened the door. "Kousuke-kun? Your new roommates are here!"

I looked up. It was a boy and a girl, which I had heard from Maria. There weren't any rooms left, so this room had to be mixed gender. The boy had blond hair and cat-like eyes, while the girl had green hair that reached her shoulders. My red eyes widened, and so did theirs. I was sure we were thinking of the same thing. My red eyes were definitely not common, so was it a coincidence that my new roommates had those eyes? ...I don't think so.

"Then I'll leave you to yourselves!" said Maria, closing the door. I quickly stood up. These kids may be nice!

"U-um, it's very nice to meet you both! I'm Kousuke Seto, I hope we will get along well!" he said, bowing. To be honest, I was pretty nervous. To my surprise, the girl gave me a glare.

"Don't use honorifics." she said coldly before sitting down on the opposite bunk bed. I was sure I looked even more nervous and scared now.

"Um, yes!" he said. "I mean, okay!"

"I'm Shuuya Kano, and she's Tsubomi Kido. Nice to meet you, Kousuke!" said the boy. I smiled at Shuuya's words.

"Yeah!"

I may be able to get along with other kids after all...

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

One day when I was 13, I decided to venture into the forest. I've always loved animals, so I wanted to find more friends. I left a note for Onee-chan, telling her I would be back for dinner. I found a lot of other animals, but I soon got lost. I wandered around for a bit, and then I found a house in the middle of the forest. I decided to go in and look.

"Um... Anyone...?" I asked, opening the door. I saw a girl slowly peek her head out from the wall. My face lit up.

"Um, hello! Uh, I kinda got lost in the woods, and I saw your house, so I just came in because the door wasn't locked..." I said, laughing sheepishly.

"...Hello..." said the girl.

"I'm Kousuke Seto, call me Seto! What's your name?" I asked.

"Marry Kozakura..." she said. Marry had very long hair, and she wore a blue dress.

She had red eyes.

"D-Don't look at me!" screamed Marry, backing away. "If you look at me, you'll turn into stone!" I looked at her, blinking, then I smiled.

She was the same as me.

"Don't worry! I've lived in fear because of our scarlet eyes as well, but wouldn't the world be much better without fear?" I said, patting her head. Tears slid down her cheeks, and soon she was crying. I gave her a hug, trying to comfort her. She clutched my jacket and cried.

I wanted to cheer her up, so I got out my iPod.

"Music would cheer people up." I said simply when she looked at me. She smiled.

"I was made fun of when I was younger because of these red eyes, so I'm really self-conscious about them..." I said. Marry nodded.

"Me too! I stopped going to school with other kids because I was getting bullied." she said. "And I'm really not a monster. I won't turn anyone into stone." I smiled and nodded.

"I know. I understand." I said. There was a silence.

"My parents are dead. So are my grandparents." said Marry suddenly. I patted her head, comforting her. I wanted to do something for her.

"Do you want to go into the city, Marry? I think you need a break from everything. You should come to the same middle school as me! I'm starting my second year there." I said, after a silence.

"You're the same age as me!" she exclaimed. "I thought you were a year or two older than me!" I laughed.

"I actually do get that a lot!" I said. "Well? What about it?" she smiled.

"Okay!" she said.

Hand in hand, we left the forest.

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In middle school, I got to meet a bunch of other people, and all of them had the same red eyes I had. Nobody bullied me; instead, they accepted me. We all became friends and we formed a gang. The Blindfold Gang. The name related to our eyes, but that wasn't the only thing that bonded us together.

I loved all the members, and with them, I could have fun. With them, I could have a fun school life. With them, life didn't feel like a burden; instead, it felt like a blessing. With them, I loved every single day and moment. With them, I anticipated tomorrow. With them, I felt I wouldn't be afraid.

With them, I was a brave boy.

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**_Chapter 018: Outer Science_**

_Kuroha Kokonose was a name that most people feared._

_Along with the existence of the boy, of course. Probably because he could break pieces of a wall with a punch._

_It didn't help that I am the Kuroha that everyone feared. _

_I'm the leader of AZAMI now that our previous boss "retired", and I now lead twelve other teenagers into fights and we always win._

_People act as if I'm a crazy psychopath that's always out hunting for targets. But really, I'm just an 182cm high school delinquent that's graduating soon. Aside from the fact that people scream in my face upon my presence, my high school life has been great._

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**Thank you for reading, and see you soon!**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	18. 018: Outer Science

**Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter, and today our main character is not someone from the Blindfold Gang! Yep, you guessed it, it's Kuroha. After writing chapters with Kuroha involved (like this one and a previous chapter, Headphone Actor), I grew to really love Kuroha as a character. Well, in this story, anyways. He reminds me of Tom Riddle in a fanfic I read to some degree. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed it!**

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Kuroha Kokonose was a name that most people feared.

Along with the existence of the boy, of course. Probably because he could break pieces of a wall with a punch.

It didn't help that I am the Kuroha that everyone feared.

I'm the leader of AZAMI now that our previous boss "retired", and I now lead twelve other teenagers into fights and we always win.

People act as if I'm a crazy psychopath that's always out hunting for targets. But really, I'm just an 182cm high school delinquent that's graduating soon. Aside from the fact that people scream in my face upon my presence, my high school life has been _great_.

In my childhood, I was never noticed by my parents. I have a twin brother, Haruka, although nobody calls him that anymore. He's got this illness, so my parents are always worried about him and he's their priority. Also, he happened to be better than me when it comes to pretty much everything academic related. Although I was better at him when it came to sports, it was only because he had that illness. If he didn't, I was sure he would be better than me. Even when I won in sports festivals, my parents would be praising my brother for trying hard even when he had that illness. He also had a talent for art, which made my parents even more pleased.

He always had the spotlight. So naturally, I lived in the darkness, in the corner of the stage that the lights never shined on. As the praises and awards piled up with my brother, the scolding and disappointment that he never received came to my side. I was never to be able please my parents, and my heart grew cold.

So yeah, I was a sad child. I grew to hate adults, life, and even my brother. Although he was so kind to me, I felt mocked and we started to drift apart. I started to pick fights with other kids, and I kept winning. I started to see the "fun" in doing that, and that's when I met the members of AZAMI. We started a gang, and we fought other people all the time.

Also, when we moved into a new house when I was about five, Haruka met this girl who was our neighbor. Her name was Takane Enomoto, and... What else can I say about her? I fell in love with this girl, but since I was a kid and a really stupid one, I was always mean to her. I pretended I didn't care about her at all, and I always pulled her pigtails.

And of course, she grew to hate me.

And of course, she grew to love my brother.

The two of them were inseparable, even after all those years. They were hopelessly in love. In middle school, they were both in the special needs classroom that they had all to themselves, and I could only watch from the side as I ignored my breaking heart. They even stuck together in high school, forming a gang and even living in the same apartment.

I told myself to give up, but I just couldn't. Whenever I wanted to be kind to her, the words came out spiked and filled with poison.

I wasn't someone who took jealousy well. I knew that myself. But what could I do? It was my brother that she liked. My brother that got everything he wanted and was better than me at everything. He was the star student, the "better" son. I could never beat him.

I started to put my anger into my fights. My punches and kicks got harsher and it destroyed more and more people. The sight of blood didn't scare me anymore. I became feared by everyone, and I was crowned with some weird "best fighter" title. But I didn't want any of that.

I just wanted to be loved.

High school came, and the years flew past. Nothing interested me. I had left my house, just like my brother did, and everyday consisted of fighting, fighting, fighting. But then, in my third year, I met someone.

Actor Enomoto.

The twin sister of _the _Takane Enomoto. Also, she was the "better" twin. Meaning she was the one her parents favored over the other. Just like Haruka was. It was weird how I never even knew she existed all these years; we never met as kids. Is this some sick joke played by fate? I never thought I would fall in love with the twin sister of my first crush. It wasn't anything like seeing her as a replacement for Takane or anything. Nothing like that. Actor was different from Takane, and I loved her.

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This is the last straw.

My eyebrows twitched as I willed my fists to stay at their sides. I took frequent deep breaths to calm myself down, but that didn't work well. Beside me, Actor was still rambling on and on.

About Konoha.

"And then you know what he did? He..." I didn't even bother to process the rest of Actor's sentence. I did not want a 24/7 report of my brother. Even more, I did not want one coming from Actor. I didn't want one from the girl I loved.

This definitely was not jealousy.

"Are you even listening, Kuroha? Honestly! Konoha..." Fucking hell, woman, do you have to say that name over and over again? With such a big fucking smile on your face? Without thinking, I punched the wall.

Okay, this was jealousy.

"Enough." I said, my voice dark and full of anger. Actor flinched, a hurt expression on her face, and I realized how angry and dangerous I sounded. But I didn't back off there. "Why are you always talking about Konoha? These days, all I hear from you is Konoha, Konoha, Konoha. What, do _you_ like Konoha now?"

"What's up with you, Kuroha? I can talk about what I want, okay?" said Actor. I felt a vein pop. With one swift movement, I slammed my palm hard against the wall behind Actor, cornering her. I was sure my eyes had narrowed into a glare of hate. Actor closed her eyes, waiting for the pain that accompanied the punch she expected.

And then I kissed her.

I could tell she was surprised. Even shocked. But she didn't struggle against me. When I pulled away, I saw that her face was redder than a tomato. She covered her mouth with the back of her hand, and she couldn't look me in the eyes.

"Y-Y-Y-You...! Y-You idiot! That was my first kiss!" said Actor, stuttering while blushing hard. I smirked.

"Is that so? That's such a coincidence." I said. "That was my first kiss too." I turned away from Actor's surprised expression and left, planning to skip class.

I tried to ignore the smile that crept onto my face.

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"Kuroha Kokonose...!" I looked up at the mention of my name. I easily dodged the flying kick that was directed at me. I sighed.

"What is it, Ene?" I asked, irritated. The blue-haired girl stood up and glared at me. She looked like she wanted to grab me by the collar of my shirt, but she wasn't tall enough.

"You little fucking bastard! You kissed my twin sister? You pervert! Don't touch her!" she yelled.

"Wow, news sure does travel fast around here. Also, you sound like an overprotective mother." I commented. That only made her angrier.

"Fuck off, Kokonose! You can go fuck around with other girls for all I care, but don't you dare touch my sister! You think you're all that and you can get any girl to fall in love with you, but guess what? I won't let you touch my sister if you just want to play around with her! I don't care if you're Haruka's brother. If you think that's going to make me not beat you up, then you're wrong!" she said.

"I never said I thought that. And what, it's okay for you and my brother to date but it's not okay for me and your sister to kiss?" I asked.

"Shut up! You don't even like h-"

"Who said I didn't like her?" I asked, cutting Ene off. She blinked, obviously surprised. "I love Actor Enomoto. I am in love with her. I've been in love with her ever since the day she transferred to this school. If it's for her, I can even break laws. Is that enough?" Ene slowly backed off, eyeing my warily.

"Is that true?" she asked. I laughed.

"Why would I lie?" I asked. She looked into my eyes.

"If you make my sister cry, I will beat you up. I don't want her to get hurt. She's the only family member that cares for me that I have left, after all." she said. "Later." And she ran off. I sighed.

That was such an overprotective older sister.

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During the next class I skipped, I bumped into someone I didn't think I would bump into.

Konoha.

"Hi, Kuroha." he said, greeting me with a smile.

"What, skipping class?" I asked. Konoha smiled awkwardly.

"Not exactly..." he said. I sighed.

"I don't get it. Why did someone like you join a gang? You're not that type of person. I just don't get it." I said. Konoha seemed to think for a moment.

"Because it's fun." he said, smiling a wide smile. His response made my eyes widen. "It's fun to be with everyone. With them, every day is fun." My fists shook. The dam that held back all the thoughts for years finally broke, and the words poured out like a waterfall.

"...You're always like this..." I murmured. "You can always do things just because you think it's fun, and you don't have to care about what others think about you..."

"Kuroha?" asked Konoha, looking concerned. "Are you okay? Do you need to go to the nurse's office?" Those caring words only made me angrier. Just like they always have.

"Why is it that you get to live so happily? Why is it that you don't have to care about the people around you? Why do you get to be so carefree all the time, and still get everything you want? Why is it that you're the one who gets all the compliments and praises? Why is it that you're the one that everyone prefers? Even when we're twins?" I yelled. Konoha's eyes were wide, as if he never knew I thought this way. The familiar feeling of tears forming in my eyes annoyed me even more. I wiped my eyes even before they starting spilling, but that didn't stop them.

"...Why doesn't anyone love me?" I whispered. I had said it. The words I had forced to the back of my mind for years. I turned away, afraid of what Konoha would do. He would probably be creeped out by what a depressed guy his brother truly is.

I felt a hand grip mine tightly, and I turned around. It was Konoha. He looked extremely serious, but his expression didn't lose an ounce of kindness.

"I love you, Kuro." said Konoha. I widened my eyes. The nickname Haruka called me when we were kids. When we used to get along well. Before I realized he was the "better" twin. "I'm sorry I caused you all this pain. It doesn't matter who's the "better" twin. You're my brother. Isn't that all that matters?" I laughed, despite the tears still rolling down my face.

"That's so stupid." I said, smiling. "But so like you." Konoha smiled sheepishly. I sighed and wiped away my tears.

"Thanks..." I stopped mid-sentence. I took a deep breath and I said the name I was always scared to say.

"Konoha."

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"K-Kuroha!" I looked up at the sound of the familiar voice. During the first class I skipped, I met Ene. The second one I met Konoha. This was the third.

Just like I thought, it was Actor. She was sweating, but she didn't look tired. She must have ran around the school trying to find me. (The thought of her trying hard to find me made me grin a bit.) She was blushing, but her expression was serious.

"What is it?" I asked.

"D-Do you have a moment?" she asked. I shrugged. We were in the courtyard, and since it was still class time, there wasn't anyone here except us.

"So, Actor. What do you want to talk to me about?" I asked, although I already could guess.

"W-Why did you k-kiss me?" asked Actor, her face even redder now. I smirked. I leaned in close to her and I smiled.

"Isn't that obvious?" I asked. "It's because I love you." Her eyes widened, and I pulled away.

"I-Is it true that that was your first kiss?" she asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. I've never had a girlfriend before, you know." I said. She looked genuinely surprised at those words.

"You're always texting during class, so I've always thought you had a girlfriend..." she said. I couldn't help but laugh.

"I've been texting to my gang members and previous boss, Actor. I've never had a girlfriend. And I want my first girlfriend to be you." I said. She clenched her fists.

"...Am I just a replacement for Takane?" she asked. My eyes widened. I was totally caught off guard. I never thought she would think that. This must be how Konoha felt when I had that outburst an hour ago... "I know you liked her before. And you've liked her for quite a long time. Are you just saying that because you like Takane? Just because I look the same as Takane? Am I a replacement?"

"...How did you know I liked her?" I finally got out. Actor looked near tears.

"Answer my question!" she yelled, glaring at me. I glared back at her.

"Then what about you?" I retorted. "Do you talk to me because I'm Haruka Kokonose's twin brother? The Haruka Kokonose that was your first crush? Am I your replacement for the Haruka Kokonose your sister is dating?" She looked surprised, and I laughed to myself. She thought I didn't know that. How dumb.

"...First off, you're nothing like Haruka. And second, that was a long time ago. I don't like Haruka anymore. Takane does. I support them, okay?" she said. I smiled.

"Then why are you asking me that question? The one I love is you. There's no doubt about that." I said.

"I'm... scared. I'm scared that I'll be thrown away like an used toy. I never thought I could like someone this much... I'm scared that my feelings will get stepped on and thrown away..." she said. I sighed, and I put a hand on her head and patted it.

"I love you for who you are. You're cute when you blush, and you really care for people you love. Your smile when you achieve something is the best. When you're concentrating on something, you won't give up. You may look the same as your twin sister, but you're not the same as her. You are your own person." I said. "Actor Enomoto. I love you. Will you go out with me?" Actor turned away, trying to hide her blush. She uttered a small, yet audible word that made me smile:

"Yes..."

I smiled, a true smile. Actor couldn't help but smile as well. You could see that she tried not to. She's so cute. I leaned in towards her.

That was when our lips met.

Our hands had entwined without us realizing, and when I pulled away, I held onto her hand. I wanted to hold onto her hand forever. I want to be with her forever.

"Hey." said Actor, pulling me back to reality. I looked at her. She blushed. "...I love you." My eyes widened, and I smiled. I knelt down and put her hand to my lips.

"I love you too, Actor."

I didn't think someone like me would reach a "happy end", but today proved me wrong.

Life is sure full of surprises.

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**I must be crazy, fangirling to my own writing. (sighs) I hope you enjoyed that, please review, favorite, follow, etc., and I'll see you next time!**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	19. 019: Summertime Record

**Hey guys! Guess what? This is the second-to-last chapter of _Blindfold Gang_. To be honest, this is actually the "official" ending; the next chapter's more like an epilogue. The last chapter will be posted on August 15th, Kagerou Day. I'll leave my thoughts and feelings to the next chapter to express, because it sure has been an amazing journey. The graduation ceremony is a combination of graduation ceremonies I've seen in movies and anime and my own middle school graduation ceremony because I have not graduated from high school before. Anyways, please enjoy!**

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The sun's been shining nicely both yesterday and today, creating the perfect weather for a summer day. We looked up at the sky, watching the clouds float on by. The lazy breeze blew past, ruffling our hair, and we closed our eyes.

Today was the day.

The Blindfold Gang consisted of 10 members, and it always will. It was decided that once us seniors graduated, the Blindfold Gang would disband. The remaining members would keep living in the base, but they wouldn't be the Blindfold Gang anymore. They would go back to being normal high schoolers, living lives free of fighting and getting in trouble.

It seemed like our memories of these years would be buried deep in the back of our heads in the future. "That" didn't seem like something we would recall easily. "Maybe that's the sign of growing older...", we'd think to ourselves.

Today was the day we would graduate from Kagerou High...

And the Blindfold Gang.

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The graduation ceremony started off with several speeches from the principals and teachers, expressing their thoughts on the year. The graduating seniors sat together, all dressed in their robes. The other students also attended, but they served as audience only.

Ene, Actor, Shintaro, Konoha, and Ayano sat together, as they were the graduating members of the Blindfold Gang. The rest of the gang sat with their classes.

"Yo. Can I sit?" asked Kuroha, walking up to them. Actor nodded, and Kuroha took the seat next to her.

"You're late on your own graduation ceremony?" asked Shintaro, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not a good student, unlike you, Mr. Seniors' Representative." Kuroha retorted. Ayano bit back a laugh at the sight of Shintaro's speechless face.

"What's going to happen to AZAMI?" asked Ene. Kuroha shrugged.

"New boss, keep fighting. They're going to keep the gang going until the last batch of members graduate." he said. He looked at them. "I heard the Blindfold Gang is disbanding." Konoha nodded.

"Yeah." he said. Kuroha smiled.

"Well, good luck." he said. Actor laughed.

"I think you need more luck than us, judging from your grades." she said. Kuroha raised an eyebrow and leaned in close to her.

"Hm? Did you say anything?" he asked. Actor's face heated up and she turned away.

"N-Nothing!" she said. Ene was about to say something when the teacher on the stage said something that caught their attention.

"Now we'll have a speech from the representative of the seniors. Shintaro Kisaragi!" announced one of the teachers. Shintaro stood up.

"Here." he said, walking up to the stage. Shintaro was the top of his grade, and therefore had to make a speech representing the graduating class. He reached the podium and took a deep breath. He wasn't nervous; in fact, he knew exactly what he was going to say.

"To be honest, when the teachers shoved a piece of paper in my face and told me to write a speech, I had no idea what to write. I've spent hours glaring at the blank piece of paper, wishing something would just magically appear. So in the end, I decided to just say what I truly felt about my high school life." said Shintaro.

"If you told me my high school life would be fun a few years back, I would have laughed in your face. I didn't have friends in the past, and neither did I want any. I was what you called a loner, along with being a dumbass genius with the IQ of 160. I didn't care for friends, because I thought all the people around me were stupid and I didn't want anything to do with idiots. But in the last year of my middle school life, I met someone." Shintaro turned his head and looked into the audience at one specific person. Her eyes were wide, and she covered her mouth with her hands in surprise.

"That "someone" was Ayano Tateyama. She was stupid just like the rest, but she was different. She made me realize what "happiness" truly is. She introduced me to her equally stupid friends, and soon, I found myself in a gang with them. We made plans that tried to mimic adults, and weird signals as well. "Let's go, today's war as well!", we'd proclaim as we stood against the lonesome world, hand in hand." At this moment, a tear rolled down Shintaro's cheek. He didn't bother to wipe it away.

"It's been five years now. Already five years since I met these losers. And I've enjoyed every moment with them. Today, I can proudly proclaim this: My high school life has been fun, and it's been the most amazing experience ever. I'd like to say a big thank you to this school for letting me meet everyone. A big thank you to the teachers that taught us, too. But of course, a big thank you to the idiots that call themselves the Blindfold Gang; thank you, for making my high school life memorable." A silence fell over the auditorium. Then, someone shot out of their seat, surprising everyone, but Shintaro the most. It was Ayano.

"I'm the one who should be saying thank you!" she yelled, tears streaming out of her eyes. "I've been causing Shintaro so much trouble! Thank you, Shintaro, for always being with me!"

"Shintaro-kun, thank you for being my friend! I really enjoyed our times together!" yelled Konoha, a few tears rolling down his cheeks. Beside him, Ene and Actor also stood up, both of them having tears swimming in their eyes.

"Hey, Master! It was all great fun! I enjoyed the hell out of pranking you! Thank you!" said Ene.

"Yo, Shin! I've only joined for two years, but you guys made me feel so included! Thanks for everything!" said Actor. The tears started to fall from Shintaro's eyes. He wiped them away with his sleeve, but they kept coming.

"Crying isn't manly, Onii-chan! Also, you'd better live a good life out in college!" yelled Momo.

"Oji-san! You've been really annoying, but I didn't hate that!" said Hibiya.

"Please don't forget about us!" said Marry. Beside her, the three siblings only smiled as the tears fell silently. Shintaro nodded, and he gave a huge bow. The auditorium was filled with applause. The other students had also started cheering and yelling. Shintaro's speech had touched them.

Kagerou High's senior class of this year... has graduated.

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"Congrats on graduating, everyone!" said Marry. Ene smiled.

"Thanks, Marry-chan!" she said. Actor sighed.

"But I can't believe it.. We're stepping into adult world soon. College. Future. Jobs. It's going to be so stressful!" she said.

"That's because it's you." said Shintaro, laughing. Actor glared at him.

"Shut up, Mr. Seniors' Representative!" she said. "I'm not you!" Everyone laughed.

"Ah, there you all are!" said a feminine voice. It was Mangetsu Katsuragi.

"Mangetsu." said Shintaro, nodding to greet her.

"Congrats, seniors!" she said. Ayano smiled.

"Congratulations to you too, Katsuragi-san!" she said. Mangetsu looked momentarily surprised, then she smiled.

"Thanks, Tateyama-san." she said. Her expression then turned serious. "Also, I'd like to apologize to you. I wasn't able to do anything to help you that day. I'm really, really sorry." She gave a bow to Ayano, who looked a little panicky at the seriousness.

"T-That's totally not your fault, Katsuragi-san! I don't blame you at all! In fact, I'm glad you were there!" said Ayano.

"Exactly. If you didn't scream, I wouldn't be able to find out who pushed Ayano off." said Shintaro. Mangetsu smiled.

"I'm glad. I was afraid you would hate me..." she said to Ayano.

"I won't hate you!" said Ayano, smiling. "Let's get along and stay in contact from now on... Getsu-chan!" Mangetsu's eyes widened. "Ah, if you don't like that name I don't have to-"

"Nope, I love it! I haven't had anyone call me that before! Let's get along, Yano-chan!" said Mangetsu. "Can I take a picture with you?" Ayano nodded. They took a picture together and exchanged mail addresses.

"I guess I have to leave now! See you sometime soon, Blindfold Gang!" said Mangetsu, and she left.

"So what's the story behind this?" asked Kano. "How'd you guys get so close?"

"I'll tell you guys later." said Shintaro, sighing.

"When's later?" asked Momo. Shintaro shrugged.

"Someday." He replied. His words were met with many "ehhhh~"s and sighs of disappointment.

"You guys are just as I remember you." said a voice. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice. Kuroha looked surprised, while Marry's face lit up.

"Azami! Tsukihiko!" she said, hugging Azami. She patted Marry's head.

"Congratulations, Blindfold Gang." said Azami. "And Kuroha."

"Why do I feel like you don't want to congratulate me but you have to because I'm standing here?" asked Kuroha, his eyebrows twitching. Azami laughed.

"You're just as I remember you as well, Kuroha! You haven't changed. How's the gang doing?" she asked.

"They're great." said Kuroha.

"Um... Could it be..." said Momo. "You were the leader of AZAMI?!" Beside Azami, Tsukihiko tried to bite back a laugh.

"You seriously couldn't tell from the name? Azami and AZAMI. There's literally no difference." said Kuroha.

"We thought the name of the gang would be more sophisticated and it would have more meaning than that! We even looked into the symbolism of the flower! And now you tell us it's just the name of the leader?!" asked Kano.

"Yeah." said Azami and Kuroha at the same time.

"What the fuck." said Hibiya.

"What the fuck is right." said Shintaro, his face in his hands.

"But that's all in the past. I'm not the leader anymore. I'm just a normal person here to congratulate you. Nothing else." said Azami.

"Thank you, Azami!" said Marry.

"How's the marriage going?" asked Kuroha, smirking. Azami's face flashed scarlet, while Tsukihiko's face lit up like lights on a Christmas tree.

"It's great! I still love Azami just as much, if not much more!" said Tsukihiko. Azami turned to him.

"Idiot! Don't say such embarrassing things!" she said. Tsukihiko laughed.

"Sorry, sorry, Azami!" he said. The gang watched them with great interest.

"They remind me of two people." said Kano.

"Yeah. I know who you're talking about." said Actor.

"Anyways. We've congratulated you. I think we have to head back now. Well, good luck in life!" said Azami, and the couple left.

"I think we should head back too." said Seto. Kido nodded.

"Yeah. Let's go."

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On the way home, Konoha paused to stare at the setting sun.

"Konoha?" asked Shintaro. The gang had stopped walking, waiting for him.

"Oh, sorry." he said. Everyone else smiled.

"If you're lonely, then come!" said Ene, a big smile on her face. Konoha smiled, and caught up with the others. Something knocked at his heart loudly, wishing to explode out. What were these feelings that had grown inside of him? The thought bubbled up to his head, then withered away.

Was that an illusion? That feeling seemed to be happiness.

"I'm home!" yelled Momo, already running to the couches. Everyone walked in after her, laughing. Yelling "I'm home!" when they returned to the base already became a habit for all of them, even though this wasn't their real home. But for most, if not all, of them, this place felt more like home than anywhere else.

The days everyone came together at their own secret base was just simply "fun". In the future, maybe they would remember these days, and talk about it some more.

"Wow, look, it's an airplane!" said Momo, pointing out the window. Just like she said, there was an airplane outside in the sky, leaving a white trail behind it.

"It's so bright..." said Marry, smiling. Somehow, that smile had a sad tint to it.

Maybe years later, we won't even remember what kind of face each other had at that moment.

"It's really beautiful outside...!" said Actor, opening the window and peering out.

The painful reality hit us. The ordinary days we chose were crumbling down, bit by bit. These days have been overtime battles, and it seems like we've only realized it now...

"It seems like the heat is telling us, you know," said Ene. Everyone turned to her. "'Don't forget, now, let's go', or something." Everyone nodded.

We've dreamt of tomorrow endless times. We can't go back, so we venture towards the world in front of us, proclaiming "We'll change it with our own hands!".

"It's over, isn't it? Our secret base, our crazy adventures..." Konoha murmured. A sudden breeze blew through the open window.

"It's so refreshing..." Everyone said at the same time. They stare at each other, and they burst into laughter. The summer sky is transparent as always, and deep down, everyone knows its time to say goodbye.

"I hope you'll recall it again sometime, the summer days we met at our secret base and laughed all the time..." said Marry, smiling, a tear threatening to spill out. Everyone nodded.

"Of course," said Actor. "We won't forget."

"Let's meet again someday."

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**It's still slightly unbelievable that the next chapter is the last one! It's just so surreal! I really hope you've enjoyed this chapter (and the whole story, too), and maybe just leave a review to let me know what you think? I'd really appreciate it. Thank you so much!  
**

**~Chinnie Ai**


	20. 020: Days

**Today is the day this story, _Blindfold Gang, _officially ends. I just can't believe it! I chose August 15th to post the last chapter, because we all know this day is something special to all of us. I started this story when I was still in 7th grade, and now I'm stepping into 9th grade soon. This journey has been almost two years; even I've forgotten how long it was! I've never been able to finish such a long story, and really, it's all thanks to all of you that I've been able to continue writing. Without your kind words, it would have been much harder. I never imagined myself to be able to finish a story that is 77.5k words long! Can you believe that? Without further ado, I'll let you read the final chapter of _Blindfold Gang._ Please enjoy!**

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In this delightful little city with the name of Mekaku City, there is a street called the Kagerou Street, famous for being the most chaotic and catastrophic street in city history ever. Why? Because this is where the delinquents liked to hang out. There used to be two gangs that had dominated the street, but both of them have disbanded.

One of the groups was AZAMI, famous for its mysterious and dark aura. The second group was the Blindfold Gang. It consisted of ten members (or eleven, according to some rumors), and nearly all of them have graduated.

Member NO. 1 was Tsubomi Kido, a tall green haired girl. She is currently 19 years old, and during her time in high school she was referred to as "Kido". She was the leader of the Blindfold Gang, and she is now a student at a college in a different city.

NO. 2 was Kousuke Seto, a brown haired boy. He is currently 19 years old. He, like his sister Tsubomi, was always addressed by his last name. He is now a college student.

NO. 3 was Shuuya Kano, a blonde boy with cat-like eyes. He is currently 19 years old. He is the brother of Tsubomi and Kousuke, and was addressed by his last name as well. He is now a college student.

NO. 4 was Marry Kozakura, a white haired girl. She is currently 19 years old. She is now a student studying at the same college as Kousuke.

NO. 5 was Momo Kisaragi, an orange haired girl. She is currently 19 years old. She is a super idol at the world level, holding concerts and events all the time, and she barely had free time at all. She did not go to college, but she didn't have time for it anyways.

NO. 6 was Takane Enomoto. During her days in the gang, she went by the name of Ene. She had black hair, but she dyed it blue as a sign of rebellion to her parents in her high school years. Her hair color is back to normal now. She is 20 years old, and she is in college.

NO. 6.5 was Actor Enomoto, Takane's twin sister. She only joined in their second last year, but she was just as close with the other members. She is 20 years old, and she is in the same college as her twin sister.

NO. 7 was Shintaro Kisaragi, a black haired boy and older brother to Momo. He is 20 years old. He is currently studying at the same college as his girlfriend Ayano Tateyama, but this year he is an exchange student in a foreign country.

NO. 8 was Hibiya Amamiya. He is 18 years old, and he is the only member of the Blindfold Gang that is currently still in Kagerou High. He's the youngest of them all, and the last to graduate.

NO. 9 was Haruka Kokonose, an extremely tall boy. He is 20 years old, and in his high school years he went by the name of Konoha. He has a twin brother named Kuroha Kokonose, who is one of the key members of AZAMI, the Blindfold Gang's opposing gang. He is in the same college as Takane and Actor.

The gang parted their ways when the eldest ones graduated. They still met with each other once in a while, but due to everyone being busy, they soon lost contact with each other.

Today was the day they would meet up once again.

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"Three lattes, one hot chocolate, one London fog, two cotton candy fraps, two vanilla frap, one lemon cake frap please, all tall, thank you." said Shuuya. The gang had decided to meet up in Starbucks, the place they visited so many times together.

"So Hibiya's the only one not here yet?" asked Tsubomi. Momo nodded.

"He still has school. He said he'll be here real quick." she said. Everyone took their drinks and found a table for them to sit down at.

"You sure you don't want anything, Shintaro?" asked Ayano. Shintaro raised up his can of coke as a response. Takane laughed.

"Of course. Coke." she said. "You haven't changed a bit, _Master_." Everyone laughed at the familiar nickname.

"Sorry I'm late!" said Hibiya, bursting into the shop. He quickly found their table and sat down. He took a sip from the vanilla frap Momo handed him.

"No problem. We just came, anyways." said Haruka.

"So, how's school life?" asked Kousuke.

"Did you make any friends?" asked Actor, snickering. Hibiya shook his head.

"Nope." he said. He paused, and looked away, his face reddening. "...It's not the same without you guys." Shuuya ruffled his hair.

"Aw, that's so sweet, Hibiya!" he said. Hibiya swatted his hand away, embarrassed.

"How are your grades?" asked Momo.

"Don't worry, they're better than yours." said Hibiya, laughing.

"That's mean!" she said, taking a drink from her exotic drink.

"Are you going to return to the countryside?" asked Marry.

"I've decided to go visit my parents after I graduate. But I'll continue my studies in the city." said Hibiya. "I won't be leaving."

"That's great!" said Ayano.

"That reminds me, how's Katsuragi-san?" asked Tsubomi.

"She's studying fashion design in Paris!" said Ayano excitedly. "That's so amazing, isn't it? That's just so cool! She's studying in Paris! Paris!"

"I actually met her during my France tour!" said Momo. "She helped me when I got lost, haha... She can speak French quite well now! I'm letting her design my next outfit for the new album!"

"What about Azami-san and Tsukihiko-san?" asked Kousuke.

"They're just as always! They're living really happy lives!" said Marry, smiling. "I still visit them time to time!"

"Kuroha does too. If he scares you, Marry-chan, don't hesitate to tell me!" said Actor. Marry nodded, laughing.

"Anyways, what about you guys?" asked Hibiya. "Any plans for the future?"

"Oh, me, me!" said Ayano. "I want to become a kindergarten teacher!"

"That does fit you!" said Haruka excitedly. "I hope you have fun! Good luck, Ayano-chan!" Ayano smiled and nodded.

"Thanks! I'll do my best!" she said. "What about you, Momo-chan? Just full-time idol?" Momo laughed.

"Probably, seeing I'm no good at schoolwork..." she said. Everyone else laughed, thinking of Momo's test scores. "But it's quite fun! It's something I like to do, so even though it's tough, I still laugh all the time."

"A lot of us still don't know what we're going to do in the future..." said Actor. "At least I don't." She laughed.

"That's okay!" said Kousuke. "I'm sure we'll find it, someday."

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"Now," said Actor, taking a long sip from her frappuccino, smirking. "What about our love lives?" Takane sighed.

"Yes, I get you're engaged, Actor. I've heard you talk about that proposal many times." she said. There was a silence following Takane's words. Everyone's eyes widened while Actor's face heated up.

"Takane! That wasn't what I was trying to get at!" she said, embarrassed. Takane shrugged.

"Engaged?!" said Shintaro.

"Congratulations!" said Kousuke.

"So, to whom?" asked Momo, smirking. Actor's face heated up even more.

"Kuroha..." she said quietly, looking away. Everyone gave each other knowing looks.

"Ah." Everyone chorused.

"Of course. We should have guessed." said Tsubomi, smiling.

"Kuroha's been really happy these days..." said Haruka. "So I guess that's why..."

"We'll be invited to the wedding, right?" asked Shuuya. Actor nodded, still embarrassed.

"I am looking forward to this so much!" said Takane.

"Enough about me! What about you, Momo?" asked Actor, pointing at Momo. "Is the media right?" Momo looked panicky.

"W-What did the media say?" she asked.

"I'm pretty sure you know what I'm talking about! The news that said super idol Momo Kisaragi is going out with that super famous guy you worked with in a movie!" said Actor. Hibiya's grip on his drink tightened.

"O-Of course that's not true!" said Momo. "We've only worked together once, and we only met casually on the streets that time! It's definitely not true!" Hibiya relaxed his grip and let out the breath he was holding in.

"Well, if Momo says so, then I guess it's not true." he said.

"Did you think it was real?" asked Momo, looking a little disappointed.

"N-No!" said Hibiya, but the stutter in his voice gave it all away. Momo sighed.

"So, Onii-chan. How's everything going?" asked Momo. "Isn't it nice to be back in this country?"

"With your girlfriend?" interjected Takane.

"Did you guys have an emotional reunion at the airport?" Shuuya snickered. Shintaro sighed.

"She made a huge scene." he said. "She threw herself at me and I fell onto the ground painfully. I dropped all my luggages and everyone was staring at us. Seriously, you're an adult already, Ayano..." Ayano laughed awkwardly.

"Sorry, Shintaro..." she said. Shintaro sighed again.

"Just don't do that when there's so many people around next time." he said, taking a drink of his coke. Ayano smiled and nodded.

"Takane and I are getting married after we finish college!" said Haruka excitedly. Takane's face turned red.

"H-Haruka!" she said. "Don't just say that all of a sudden!"

"OH MY GOD? I'M SO EXCITED!" Actor yelled.

"We all are!" said Ayano, laughing.

"T-There's still a few years left! It's not that soon!" said Takane, stuttering.

"That's okay! I'll be waiting for you, Takane, no matter how long it takes." said Haruka, smiling. Takane's face heated up once again and everyone squealed at the cute couple.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make!" said Marry, in a small voice. "I-I'm pregnant!" Momo's mouth dropped open, and everyone immediately turned their heads to look at Kousuke, who looked embarrassed.

"This is awkward..." said Kousuke, smiling awkwardly.

"Holy shit, Kousuke!" said Shuuya.

"Uh, what should we say? Right! Congratulations!" said Tsubomi. Marry smiled happily.

"Thanks!" she said. "But it's so... Surreal. Something as unbelievable as a new life growing in here..." She smiled.

"We're getting married too, and you're all invited as well." said Kousuke.

"That's so wonderful!" said Ayano, smiling.

"Hey, Tsubomi, let's get married too." said Shuuya. Tsubomi was not the only one that was surprised.

"Y-You-! Was that a proposal?!" said Tsubomi. Shuuya nodded.

"Yep~!" he said. Tsubomi's face flushed red.

"W-We'll talk about this later!" she said. Shuuya smiled. They were soon attacked by the other surprised members of the Blindfold Gang. On the sides, Hibiya and Momo watched them and sighed.

"How nice..." said Momo, sighing. Hibiya looked at her.

"What, are you sad?" he asked. "Too shocked at that scene?"

"No!" said Momo. "I just thought that that was romantic, that's it..." Hibiya sighed.

"...You wanna go out for dinner sometime?" he asked, his voice a whisper. Momo blinked, surprised, then she smiled.

"Yeah!" she said. At this point, the gang was done assaulting Tsubomi and Shuuya with questions.

"But it's really nice, isn't it?" asked Ayano. Everyone looked at her, and she smiled.

"Everyone has been able to get their own "happiness"..."

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"That was great fun, guys!" said Takane. "We've got to meet more often!"

"It's a little hard with people all over the place, but we'll definitely try to arrange these meetings more." said Tsubomi.

"We have to! Our high school lives have been amazing. Let's create more amazing memories together!" said Haruka.

"It really has been a while, hasn't it? It's been two years since the Blindfold Gang disbanded..." said Shintaro.

"Don't worry, we're still connected! No matter what." said Momo, smiling.

"Oh, shit." said Hibiya, stopping in place. Everyone else turned to look in the direction Hibiya was looking.

"Hibiya Amamiya! We've finally found you!" yelled an angry voice from across the road. There were around sixteen bulky guys there, yelling and cussing and waving around sticks in anger. Everyone stared at Hibiya.

"What'd you do now, elementary schooler?" asked Momo, her mouth twitching. Hibiya sighed.

"Their leader bumped into me on the streets and I told him to say sorry. And then he tried to punch me. And then I beat him up. So his gang has been around trying to beat me up." he said. "Sorry, guys. Let's run." Shuuya put a hand on Hibiya's shoulder.

"Wait, wait. Who said anything about running?" he asked. He turned to Tsubomi, a smile on his face.

"Now, make the order, _Leader Kido._" he said. Tsubomi widened her eyes, then she smiled with confidence.

"What, are you too scared, Hibiya Amamiya? Are you scared we'll beat up your poor friends?" One of the guys taunted. The gang smiled, their scarlet eyes flashing with confidence.

"Emergency reformation of the Blindfold Gang! We accept their challenge!" said Kido. Everyone else nodded.

"Sorry, Ayano, stay back." said Shintaro. Ayano nodded understandingly and backed off from the battlefield.

"It's kinda weird without our hoodies though, isn't it?" asked Seto.

"I hope my skills haven't decreased after all these years!" said Ene, laughing as they stepped closer to the opposing gang.

"Don't worry!" said Marry.

"If anyone's in trouble, we'll have their back for sure!" said Momo. Kido smiled.

"Let's go!"

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_Time goes forward without turning back. The clock's hands inch forward without stopping. The same way..._

_Again and again._

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**There it is. The end of our two year journey together. I'd like to thank every single person that has reviewed over the course of these two years, but not just my reviewers. To everyone that has favorited, followed, read, or even clicked inside, thank you so, so much! Really, I can't say anything else except thank you! I've been so happy during these two months of summer vacation when I was trying to finish this story, I really have. This story has taken up so much of my time and effort, but all of it was definitely worth it! I hope that you'll remember this story even after it reaches its end. I'll definitely write more stuff, but I just don't know what and when. But when the time comes... I'll see you then. Again, thank you, thank you, thank you!**

**~Chinnie Ai**


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